AZPreps365assets.azpreps365.com/tournament-programs/2014/2014-15-aia-football... · 6. PINNACLE--...

Following in Barry’s Footsteps

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By Jose Garcia, aia365.com

Barry Sollenberger dedicated his life to preserving the history of Arizona’s high school sports programs and promotingthe state’s athletes.

One way he did so was through a popular preseason football magazine Sollenberger launched in 1971, Phoenix MetroFootball Magazine. But when he passed away in 2005 on his 60th birthday, the run of one of the more successful andlongest running high school preseason football magazines in the nation ended.

His publishing partner and good friend Dave Kukulski keptSollenberger’s vision alive by distributing a DVD with presea-son information. But tracking down more than 200 footballcoaches and high school sports history isn’t easy, and no-body did it better than Sollenberger, the late Arizona Inter-scholastic Association’s historian.

When the AIA and aia365.com decided to recapture the spiritof Sollenberger’s magazine by relaunching it online, namingthe magazine after Sollenberger (on the cover of this maga-zine) was a no-brainer. It took a group effort to reintroducean Arizona high school football staple that one man, Sollenberger, used to produce.

The AIA’s Tayler Coady and Michele Staples sent out thequestionnaires that Valley veteran writers Don Ketchum andLes Wilsey and I used to write about more than 155 footballprograms in the inaugural Sollenberger’s AZ Prep FootballReport. A couple of Sollenberger’s Phoenix Metro Footballpartners, Kukulski and his family and photographer StevePaynter, were also involved, keeping alive a connection toPhoenix Metro Football.

New partner Maxpreps.com also provided photos. One ofSollenberger’s former magazine sponsors, Valle Luna Mexi-can Restaurants, also jumped on board to help reintroducethe magazine.

We also would like to thank our new sponsors and ParentHeart Watch state coordinator Shellie Wenhold for helpingthe AIA and aia365.com place defibrillators in Arizona highschools. Helping raise the awareness of getting young ath-letes’ hearts screened will be one of Sollenberger’s AZ PrepReport’s goals.

In this magazine, you’ll find an ad for the Anthony Bates Foundation. Bates played football at Mountain Pointe and diedfrom a genetic heart disease when he was 20. Information about where high school athletes can get their heartsscreened is in the ad.

Kukulski said Sollenberger would have been proud that his magazine will continue to evolve. This year’s magazinedoesn’t come close to matching what Sollenberger produced.

But it’s a start and a great way to continue to honor a man who gave so much to Arizona’s high schools.

Barry Sollenberger was a talented decathlete at ArcadiaHigh School (Photo courtesy of Sollenberger family).

2014 Football Index of Teams

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Agua Fria ............................................32Alhambra ............................................31Antelope..............................................40Apache Junction .................................29Apollo..................................................21Arcadia................................................25Arizona Charter...................................46Arizona Lutheran ..........................39, 40Baboquivari.........................................42Bagdad ...................................44, 45, 47Barry Goldwater..................................29Basha....................................................9Benson................................................41Betty Fairfax........................................18Bisbee.................................................41Blue Ridge ....................................34, 36Boulder Creek.....................................13Bourgade Catholic ..............................40Brophy Prep....................................8, 12Buckeye..............................................32Buena .................................................19Cactus...........................................28, 29Cactus Shadows.................................25Camelback..........................................19Camp Verde........................................43Campo Verde......................................24Canyon Del Oro............................28, 31Canyon State ......................................42Carl Hayden........................................19Centennial.....................................17, 21Cesar Chavez.....................................10Chandler .......................................6, 8, 9Chandler Prep.....................................41Chaparral ......................................17, 24Chino Valley........................................36Cholla..................................................29Cibola..................................................22Cienega ........................................17, 19Coconino.............................................30Combs ................................................36Coolidge..............................................34Copper Canyon...................................19Corona del Sol ....................................12Cortez .................................................36Deer Valley ...................................17, 21Desert Edge..................................28, 32Desert Mountain .................................12Desert Ridge ...................................8, 11Desert View ........................................21Desert Vista ........................................12Dobson ...............................................13Douglas...............................................29Duncan ...............................................46Empire ................................................29Estrella Foothills ...........................34, 35Florence..............................................36Flowing Wells......................................31Fort Thomas .......................................46Fountain Hills ................................34, 36Fredonia..............................................46Gila Ridge...........................................22Gilbert ...................................................9

Gilbert Christian............................45, 47Glendale Prep...............................45, 47Globe ..................................................37Greenway ...........................................29Hamilton............................................8, 9Highland................................................9Higley............................................28, 30Horizon ...........................................8, 13Ironwood.............................................21Ironwood Ridge.............................17, 23Joseph City ...................................45, 46Joy Christian.................................39, 43Kingman..............................................30Kingman Academy..............................43Kofa ....................................................23La Joya ...............................................18Lake Havasu.......................................22Liberty ...........................................17, 21Marana................................................31Marcos de Niza.............................17, 24Maricopa.............................................31Maryvale .............................................11Mesa ...................................................11Mesquite .............................................23Miami ..................................................42Millennium...........................................10Mingus ................................................30Mogollon .......................................45, 46Mohave...............................................30Monument Valley ................................35Moon Valley ........................................31Morenci ...............................................41Mountain Pointe..............................8, 12Mountain Ridge...................................13Mountain View (Marana)...............17, 23Mountain View (Mesa) ....................8, 11Nogales...............................................19North ...................................................11North Canyon......................................14Northwest Christian ......................39, 40Notre Dame Prep................................24Page ...................................................35Palo Verde ..........................................35Paradise Honors .................................41Paradise Valley ...................................25Parker .................................................35Payson................................................37Peoria ...........................................28, 29Perry .....................................................9PDSD..................................................47Pima..............................................45, 46Pinnacle ..........................................8, 13Pinon...................................................40Poston Butte .................................17, 24Prescott...............................................31Pusch Ridge Christian ..................39, 42Queen Creek ................................28, 30Ray ...............................................45, 47Raymond Kellis...................................22Red Mountain..................................8, 11Rincon.................................................23Rio Rico ..............................................35

River Valley...................................34, 36Rock Point ..........................................40Round Valley.................................39, 42Sabino...........................................28, 29Safford ................................................35Saguaro ..................................27, 28, 30Sahuarita ......................................34, 35Sahuaro ..............................................19St. David .............................................46St. Johns.......................................39, 42St. Mary’s............................................19Salome..........................................45, 47Salpointe Catholic...................16, 17, 23San Carlos ..........................................42San Pasqual .......................................42San Tan Foothills ..........................39, 43Sandra Day O’Connor ........................14Santa Cruz..........................................42Santa Rita ...........................................35Scottdale Christian..............................42Scottsdale Prep ..................................42Sedona Red Rock...............................43Seton Catholic ..............................34, 36Shadow Ridge ..............................28, 32Show Low ...............................33, 34, 37Skyline ................................................11Snowflake .....................................34, 37South Mountain...................................30Sunnyside...........................................19Sunnyslope.........................................18Sunrise Mountain................................29Superior ..............................................47Tanque Verde .....................................41Tempe.................................................31Tempe Prep ..................................39, 42Thatcher........................................39, 41Thunderbird ........................................32Tolleson...............................................18Tombstone ..........................................41Tonopah Valley ...................................40Trevor Browne ....................................19Tuba City ............................................40Tucson ................................................23Valley Christian ...................................42Valley Lutheran .............................45, 47Valley Union..................................45, 46Valley Vista .........................................10Veritas Prep ........................................42Verrado ...............................................32Vista Grande.......................................23Walden Grove.....................................35Westview ........................................8, 10Westwood ...........................................24Wickenburg.........................................36Williams ..............................................43Williams Field................................28, 30Willow Canyon....................................21Winslow ..............................................34Yuma...................................................23Yuma Catholic ........................38, 39, 41

By Les Willsey, aia365.com

For the first time in a decade last season the big-schoolfootball championship was claimed by a different schoolfor a third consecutive year. Desert Vista's triumph in 2011,Hamilton's in 2012 and Mountain Pointe's in 2013 was abreakthrough not seen since Red Mountain, Mesa Moun-tain View and Hamilton were champs 2001 through 2003,respectively.Could a fourth school break into the big-win category

this year and make it four schools in four years? There area couple possibilities with the leading candidate -- dareone say -- Chandler High?Chandler, with a 10-3 record, was right there with the

big boys last year in coach Shaun Aguano's third seasonguiding the Wolves. Chandler reached the semifinals, los-ing a heartbreaker to Hamilton, its top rival it finally de-feated for the first time ever early in the season after adecade of attempts. Chandler bulked up its schedule andwas better prepared for a postseason run because of it.Chandler's three losses were to St. John Bosco, a Califor-nia power and unbeaten champ at 16-0, eventual statechamp Mountain Pointe (14-0) and Hamilton (11-3).

So what serves to qualify Chandler to advance a gamefarther in 2014 and win its postseason finale?"We have a lot of speed and quickness," Aguano said,

referring to all the Wolves' skill position spots. "A lot of ex-perience. We have some linemen back, too, and thathelps."In an understatement, those attributes of speed and

quickness wrap around second-year starting quarterbackBryce Perkins, running back Chase Lucas and receiversDanny Mahan and transfer wide out N'Keal Harry. Perkins,a senior with a verbal commitment to ASU, piled up 3,052yards rushing and passing. He threw for 24 touchdownscompleting 70 percent of his attempts. He added 18 rush-ing TDs. Lucas, a junior, is dual threat adding 36 recep-tions for 436 yards to his 883 yards on the ground. Mahan,a possession receiver, is the veteran of the pass catcherswith 19 receptions for 267 yards. Marcos de Niza transferHarry was one of the top targets for the Padres and sup-plies a big-play threat as does Justin Jan and another re-turner, Terrell Flanigan.The offensive line is huge with returning guards Keola

Daniels and Matthew Menlove, tackle Dustin Woodard andcenter Vinny Vital, a center who relocated from Marcos deNiza. They each average 285 pounds. The former triostarted last year or had significant playing time.Chandler's defense last year was one of its best in re-

cent campaigns. Despite a potent offense the Wolves willneed a defensive unit playing at the level last year's teamdid the final few games of the season."We have some players we need to replace on de-

fense," Aguano said.Most of the experience on defense for 2014 resides at

linebacker and in the secondary. Leading the way are line-backer KT Tilini (24 tackles at middle backer) and safetyMason Moran (46 tackles). Up front are Thomas Chisholmand Basha transfer JW Windsor. Windsor, a lineman, wasamong the top three tacklers for Basha last year."Our (defensive) group is talented," Aguano said. "They

are working with some wrinkle changes. Not game readyyet, but they'll get there."Chandler has the same schedule this season, save sub-

bing out St. John Bosco for a mid-September contestagainst defending Colorado 5A champ Valor Christian.Valor Christian posted a 13-1 record in taking its state's topfootball crown. Chandler opens on the road at Centennial,who is itching for payback from a severe 42-21 beating atChandler. That loss was the lone regular-season defeat forCentennial until it bowed in the D-II semis to Chaparral."We've got three very tough games in our first four start-

ing with Centennial," Aguano said. "Mountain Pointe andValor are early games, too."Chandler will have a good idea where they stand come

mid-September. The early slate is certainly a title-worthytest.

Chandler’s Turn at D-I Title May Arrive in 2014Wolves’ Firepower Unquestioned; Defense Is Fuzzy Part

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QB Bryce Perkins accounted for over 3,000 yards in total of-fense in 2013 (photo by Jeanine Brock/maxpreps.com).


1. CHANDLER -- With skill-laden offensereturning Wolves take aim at being thefourth team in four years to win a big-school title. Last year's section title, finallya win over rival Hamilton -- and confi-dence boost from its playoff run they felljust short of a championship appearanceshows they may be ready to grasp the toprung.

2. MOUNTAIN POINTE -- Defendingchamps may be down slightly, but notnear enough not to be up for a shot at arepeat. The running game will be potentagain, but can Pride keep defenses hon-est via the pass with huge losses at quar-terback and receiver.

3. HAMILTON -- Six straight title-game appearances isimpressive, not to mention its seven titles in last 10years. Huskies always a threat to contend and this yearshould be no different even with loss of many startersand a rugged schedule.

4. DESERT RIDGE -- What appeared to be a rigorousschedule last year didn't materialize with down yearsfrom many of its section foes. The Jaguars are going torun, run, run again without the Morrisons. Justin Irbyand Alec Hathcock get the handoff to lead the groundgame. Offense could offer a bit of a passing threat aswell. Defense figures to be solid.

5. BROPHY -- Season opener vs. Bishop Gorman inSollenberger Classic will be a solid test on Aug. 22 inLas Vegas. Broncos dabble with many of the top teamsfrom other sections and its own section figures to bestronger top to bottom. Injuries played a part in 5-7 sea-son, but it was still a playoff year. Defense figures to bestronger and a resurrection is thought to be on its way.

6. PINNACLE -- Led by quarterback Brian Lewerke thiscould be a year the Pioneers have a shot at crackingthe final four. Two of its three losses last year were toHamilton and the other was to D-II runner-up Chaparral.Pinnacle won its section last year and eyes a repeat if itcan fend off Horizon.

7. HORIZON -- Offense wasn't a problem last year and

shouldn't be in 2014 with an experienced skill-set intact.A new defense and coordinator is being installed to atleast try to take the heat off the offense. If it works,Huskies could be dangerous.

8. WESTVIEW -- New coach Joe Parker is quite familiarwith the way the Knights roll and they should controltheir section as usual. A bulked-up non-section sched-ule helped last year as team held its own and thensome facing Red Mountain, Brophy to name a couple.Knights came out flat in opening round of playoffs andlook to use that as a starting point for new year.

9. RED MOUNTAIN -- Team was six up and six downplaying in six-team region that featured five teams aspostseason qualifiers. Mountain Lions won four of fivesection games (three of those teams lost in first round),but were 2-5 against other opponents -- albeit very tal-ented ones. Best bet to challenge Desert Ridge for thesection title, but needs another win or two against thelikes of Pinnacle, Chaparral, Westview and Brophy tobe thought of as serious contender.

10. MESA MOUNTAIN VIEW -- Playoff berths have re-turned to Toro Town the past two years, both with shortstays due to sub-par defense. Strength in the new sea-son is line play on both sides of the ball. That may re-sult, particularly on the defensive side,with the ability towin lower-scoring games. Toros will be playing catch-upas far as skill position spots are concerned.

Division I Preseason Rankings

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The Mountain Pointe Pride captured the 2013 AIA Division I State title with a42-19 win over Hamilton (photo by Mitchell B. Reibel/maxpreps.com).


Section iChandler: The Wolves have been a playoff qualifier for thepast nine years in a row. Getting over the roadblock thatwas Hamilton last year was a step in the right direction, butthey need to find a way to reach a title game with the arrayof talent dotting its roster, particularly in recent years. Withquarterback Bryce Perkins as its leader, the Wolves mayhave to do it without a dominating or intimidating defense.That's a tough task given the pedigree associated withmost big-school title teams.

Hamilton: The Huskies, 11-3 last year, won't take a back-seat to any program in pursuit of the state title even withChandler getting the preseason nod here as No. 1. CoachSteve Belles is 103-9 in his tenure since coming over fromMountain Ridge. Belles cites defensive line and skill posi-tions as this year's strength. Senior defensive end CalebPeart (10.5 sacks) and junior defensive tackle GarrettRand (7 sacks) are the top returnees for that unit. Wideouts Brandon Krcilek (12 catches for 258 yards) and

Kyeler Burke (25 catches for 281 yards, 3 TDs) and defen-sive back Trey Robinson are key skill players. SeniorJames Sosinski looks to be the heir apparent at quarter-back. Sosinski, 6-foot-8, received brief intervals of playingtime last year completing 16 of 28 passes for 224 yards.

Basha: The Bears open a new season with new coachGerald Todd, who takes over following the spring depar-ture of Bernie Busken. Todd knows the players and pro-gram as a varsity assistant during the past severalseasons. Basha is coming off a 6-6 season that finishedwith a blowout loss to Chandler. Todd has some talent towork with and is high on the Bears' passing game and sec-ondary. Top returnee is wide out Doc O'Connor (61catches for 1,127 yards). Joining O'Connor with varsity ex-perience are receivers Jared Schmidt (30-487-5 TDs). JoeStorm (36-454-2 TDs), linebacker Zach Archer, defensiveback Austin Williams, offensive lineman Evan Edwardsand defensive tackle Alex Roteveel. While excited aboutthe passing game, the Bears have work to do at quarter-back in replacing prolific Zach Werlinger.

Highland: The Hawks advanced to the postseason lastyear with a short stay that completed a 6-5 campaign.They have some retooling to do this year, especially on de-fense -- the strength of last year's team. Coach PeteWahlheim sees skill positions as a plus early led by run-ning back Josh Chadwick (397 yards, 3 TDs) and wideout Preston Guzman. Veteran players who are beingcounted on for leadership are offensive lineman ParkerStott (6-3, 300), defensive lineman Brent Clemons andlinebacker Luke Schroeder.

Perry: The Pumas ventured to D-I last year and were un-able to qualify for postseason after reaching the playoffs acouple times in D-II. They had their share of injuries lastyear, but probably weren't D-I playoff caliber. That maychange this year. Senior quarterback Austin Nightingale isback after a horrific injury (torn ACL, torn meniscus andbroken femur) suffered last year at midseason. Nightingalepassed for 833 yards and rushed for 369 in five games.Several players who are likely two-way performers are junior linebacker Case Hatch, tight end-defensive end SethClare and section two-way player of the year Alec Monte(receiver, defensive back). Monte caught 26 passes for395 yards and one TD. Also representing the defense isjunior DB Michael Parenti (41 tackles).

Gilbert: The Tigers are optimistic about turning in a strongseason. They finished 2-8 last year and had plenty of diffi-

Football Division I Preview

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culty moving the ball and on some nights defending theopposition. The offense should improve -- perhaps signifi-cantly. That mindset is sparked by the return of senior of-fensive tackle Steve Miller, 6-5, 305, who has committed toASU and transfer quarterback from Texas -- Nick Nezami.Gilbert struggled at quarterback last year. A good corps ofreceivers and Nezami will translate into more points.Jamian Maes (9 catches, 178 yards), Fontae Canada (12-122), Rico Yanez (12-87) and Brycen Palmer could givedefenses problems if line play is sound and QB is realdeal.

Section iiWestview: The Knights are defending section champs andremain the team to beat in the section with a solid programand new coach Joe Parker. Parker has been around thewest side school for years so don't expect a huge amountof upheaval, if any. The Knights always run the ball welland that should continue with seniors Jalen Johnson(1,601 yards, 21 TDs) and Rameihk Bowles (534 yards, 9TDs) eager to equal or better those stats. The strength ondefense is linebacker Alex Saenz, who registered 80 tackles, two sacks and an interception. Fellow seniorDamian Chouteau returns on defense as does DBJonathan Garcia. The other skill positions and defensivefront are the real question marks as the Knights try to defend section honors. They are also looking to show well

in a trio of non-section games against top-10-type oppo-nents.

Millennium: The Tigers had their first crack at the rigors ofD-I last year and it resulted in a playoff berth and a 6-5record. A loss to Westview denied them the section title.Second-year coach Jason Randels will have a team withexperience up front, especially on offense. In linemenDyson Dandurand, Gabe Estrada and Justin Lopresti theTigers should be able to move the ball. Last year's return-ing leading rusher is Duane Dorsey (354 yards and 4TDs). Jalen Cook is solid as the lone veteran in the sec-ondary and may see some action at receiver.

Cesar Chavez: The next time the Champions register avictory it will be the 300th of veteran coach Jim Rattay'scareer with stops in Ohio and several in Arizona that re-sulted in state championships (Mesa High, Desert Vistaand Phoenix Christian). The Champions managed a 3-7record with its wins coming in section play against North,Valley Vista and Maryvale. A killer non-section slate willneed to produce a couple wins if there is a chance to en-tertain post-season hopes. Chavez returns quarterbackDaniel Lerma, who managed six starts and passed for 893yards and seven TDs. A key two-way returner is JJ Craneat running back and strong safety.

Valley Vista: The Monsoon broke even at 5-5 in 2013, but


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(L to R) Hamilton’s caleb Peart (photo by Mitchell B. Reibel/maxpreps.com), Gilbert’s Steve Miller (photo by Barry Shaffer/max-preps.com) and corona del Sol’s cassius Peat (photo by Jim Willittes/maxpreps.com)

need to have more success in section play to extend theirseason beyond October. That means finding a way toknock off Westview, Millennium or Chavez. A lot of familiarnames to Monsoon fans will grace the skill spots with re-turning quarterback Damian Alarcon (1,923 yards, 20TDs), running backs Izel Robinson (479 yards, 2 TDs)and Rob Bolden (399 yards, 1 TD). Alarcon will miss hisprime target Terry Juniel, but Malik Moody and Chris Harrisgot game time and combined for 23 receptions. The defen-sive front has capable Abram Cook to lead it. Cook had 39tackles and nabbed three sacks. Defensive back ElmondoMcCoy (three interception) keys the secondary. CoachJosh Sekoch needs an inexperienced offensive line tocome together and do it quickly.

North: The Mustangs endured a tough season in 2013.They were 2-9. North hired former Basha and Mesa Moun-tain View coach Bernie Busken a month ago so the work-load for Busken and his team is heavy. Busken pilotedthree Mountain View teams to titles (1996, 1997 and1999).

Maryvale: The Panthers were blanked last year (0-10).Maryvale is coached by George Martinez, who has a 91-71 career record and guided Ironwood to the big-schooltitle game in 2002 where it fell to Mountain View. Martinezhas several returnees hoping to help churn out a win oftwo. The Panthers scored just 46 points last season.

Section iiiDesert Ridge: The Jaguars have used a powerful runninggame and solid defense as the recipe of late to competefor a state title. That won't change even without the Morri-son brothers, who apparently have left the program. JustinIrby and Alec Hathcock are ready to step up. Both showedthey were capable last year. Irby's the speedster. Hepicked up 765 yards and scored 7 TDs last season. AlecHathcock is a power back and strongest player on thesquad at 5-foot-8, 200 pounds. He picked up 267 yards inlimited carries. Coach Jeremy Hathcock likes his runningattack and defense. Five starters return on defense led bylinebacker Mason Madrid (120 tackles, 61 solo), linemanVita Taufa (45 tackles) and safety Sean Eremia (46 tack-les). Desert Ridge suffered bookend losses in an 11-2 sea-son that ended in a semifinal loss to eventual champMountain Pointe. The 11 wins in between were almost ex-clusively dominating triumphs.

Red Mountain: The Mountain Lions have continued a runas a playoff contender since coach Ron Wisniewski arrived

four years ago, but they haven't been able to realize afinal-four finish in his tenure. Red Mountain is 30-17 duringWisniewski's watch. It's been hard for any schools otherthan Hamilton, Mountain Pointe, Chandler and DesertRidge to reach that point so Wisniewski has company. RedMountain was 6-6 last season. This year's team must re-tool a senior-laden defense first and foremost to keep theplayoff streak alive. The top tackler returning is linebackerAustin Porter. Offensively Red Mountain will introduce anew quarterback, but does have a few skill players withvarsity time. The program has the numbers to fill the holes,but given a rugged schedule the learning curve needs tobe swift.

Mountain View: The Toros can't quite get in sync when itcomes to possessing a balance of experience in all facetsat the beginning of a season. Last year they had plenty ofskill-position options, but not the depth and experience atthe point of attack. This year it's pretty much the opposite.Coach Chad DeGrenier begins his fourth season with lineplay the strength. That comes in the form of Ryan Hakes,Isaac Tejada and Luis Andalon. Linebacker PhoenixHollen is the top returning player on defense. He regis-tered 52 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Mountain View was rav-aged by injury last season so it was hard for skill players,or any player regardless on which side of the ball theyplayed, to have consistency or longevity.

Mesa: The Jackrabbits are the lone school in the sectionwith a new coach. Scott Hare, a veteran of three headcoaching stops, takes over for Kelley Moore. Moore optedto return to the West Valley and coach at Buckeye.Hare previously was head coach at two schools in Califor-nia and one in Nevada, his most recent. He inherits aspeedy back in Turrell Pietz-Noble. Pietz-Noble rushed for1,154 yards and 9 TDs as a junior. He's talented and ver-satile enough to play any skill position and it wouldn't besurprising to see him used as such. The top returnee ondefense is linebacker Justin Curtis, who was in on 59 tack-les last year. Hare is excited about the promise of sopho-more linemen Nami Tuituu, who checks in at 6-2, 240.Samiuela Taueli, who played defensive line last year,racked up 30 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Skyline: The Coyotes qualified for the playoffs for the firsttime ever in the big-school classification in 2013. That cov-ers about a decade's time among big-school competition.They finished 6-5, losing in the opening round to high-oc-tane Chandler. Coach Angelo Paffumi has seven playersback with significant time on offense and four on defense.


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Quarterback is one position open as are running backspots. A weapon Skyline is counting on is Truman Tucker,who rushed for 362 yards and caught 27 passes for an-other 402 yards. Six of his receptions were for TDs. Stal-warts on the offensive line are Josh O'Brien and AaronNutt. The defensive line is anchored by Billy Uasike (53tackles and two sacks). Safety Zach Olague was a play-maker with 72 tackles and four interceptions.

Desert Mountain: The Wolves have been on a prettygood roll of late with three playoff appearances in the lastfive years. Coach Tony Tabor, beginning his ninth seasonas head coach, graduated 35 seniors and has no linemenwith experience and only two starters back on each side.The best, and he is outstanding on both sides of the ball, isrunning back/linebacker Deion Warren. Warren managedto rush for 941 yards and added 276 yards receiving. Hetotaled 16 TDs. Warren was equally productive on the de-fensive side with 61 tackles and a team-high six sacks.This section garnered five of the 16 playoff berths in D-Ilast year. The Wolves have their work cut out for them inthat regard.

Section iVMountain Pointe: The Pride has a couple holes to fill, butthey'll have nothing to do with talk of one-and-done as faras state titles go. Coach Norris Vaughan expects his teamto give an able account as it brings a 14-game winningstreak even in losing the likes of Jalen Brown, WesleyPayne, Antonio Hinojosa, Natrell Curtis and Timmy Hernandez to name a few. Vaughan's optimism rises froma returning a trio of offensive-line starters Nick Carman,Collin Lambdin and Davis Perrott, lightning-fast runningback Paul Lucas and another solid back from a year agoin Brandyn Leonard. Lucas, a multi-time state sprintchamp, rushed for 1,008 yards and 12 TDs last yearwhile Leonard added 626 yards and 11 trips to paydirt. Atransfer from Minnesota, Tyrek Cross, is a two-way talentwho may be capable of filling gaps left by the same two-way Payne. Defense has its share of returnees with tackleBruce Hester, and linebackers Keondre Churchwell andAustin Cronen. Another southpaw quarterback, Garvin Alston, is the replacement for Hinojosa. Kicker John Abercrombie figures to be solid in handling both place-kicking and punting duties. He scored 38 points as thePride's backup last year.

Brophy Prep: The Broncos would have liked to own a bet-ter-than-.500 record last season, but the 5-7 mark they fin-ished with wasn't bad all things considered. With a

revolving door at quarterback due to injury and injuries atother positions as well, the Broncos with any kind of goodfortune could have been 7-5. Brophy is still relativelyyoung this year with a lot of juniors already seasoned andset to start. Running back Ryan Velez darted his way to1,189 yards and 13 TDs. Wide out Isaiah Oliver was a ver-tical threat with 22 catches for 413 yards and seven TDs.Cade Knox got his share of time at quarterback, the posi-tion he'll start at this year. Knox can also play receiver,safety and return kicks. Coach Scooter Molander watchedDante Diaz-Infante and Connor Murphy do good things onthe defensive line as sophomores, ditto that with WalkerAdams at linebacker. Even with an influx of juniors playinghuge roles, Molander likes the senior leadership he's seenover the summer. The one worry is a lack of depth at somepositions. Brophy's schedule helped it immensely in quali-fying for the playoffs last year at 4-6. Barring another rashof injuries, the Broncos should eclipse that mark and nothave to worry about qualifying.

Desert Vista: The Thunder won't showcase many big-timecollege recruits this season, but coach Dan Hinds thinksthe collection of "good high school players" he has can getthe Thunder back to the playoffs. Desert Vista finishedfourth in the five-team section last year with an overallrecord of 4-6. The Thunder will rely on Alex Farina to leadthe offense at quaterback. Farina appeared in five gamesbehind center last year and passed for 658 yards and sixTDs. TJ Roberts, the second-leading rusher in 2013,pounded out 339 yards and four TDs on 66 carries. Lead-ing the defense are Cade Van Raaphorst and Drew McIntyre. Both will play linebacker. Van Raaphorst playedsome quarterback last year.

Corona del Sol: The Aztecs welcome alumnus Cory Nenaber as their new coach, their fourth in the last fiveyears. The Aztecs, 3-7 last year, were overseen by twohead coaches in their first 30 years following Gary Venturo's retirement after the 2010 season. Nenaber washead coach at Maricopa for four seasons where he posteda 19-23 record. At Corona he has a handful of veteranplayers to work with in his debut season. Topping the list isdefensive end-tight end Cassius Peat, who has threechampionship rings from basketball. Peat produced 34tackles and 6.5 sacks last year. He is still undecided forcollege with a boatload of suitors, including ASU. Alsoposting a solid defensive season a year ago was line-backer-running back Elijah Hassell (63 tackles). There arebits and pieces of experience at the skill positions -- run-ning back Colin Freeland, receiver Tyler Stehr and quarter-


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back Matt Asta. Freeland rushed for 303 yards and 6 TDs.On the offensive line Brandon Arrington is promising. Nen-aber says the biggest question mark is experience andhow those that do have playing time behind them continueto respond.

Dobson: Coach George De La Torre knew taking the reinsfor the Mustangs in 2012 wasn't going to be easy. Rightnow it's a step and win at a time. Dobson was 1-9 in 2012and upped the ante to 2-8 last year. They return a rathersmall senior class to work with this year (13), but there are32 juniors. Many of those are fresh off an 8-1 JV season.Top returnees for Dobson are wide out Anthony Ford (14catches for 245 yards, 2 TDs), quarterback Nick Riddle(460 yards, two TDs, 5 picks) and tight end Trase Colburn.Offensive lineman Dan Verducci, at 6-4, 278, is drawing at-tention from recruiters.

Section VPinnacle: The Pioneers return almost half their starters onboth sides of the ball, a good foundation for improving in

the playoffs and perhaps bettering a 9-3 record. Quarter-back Brian Lewerke, a Michigan State commit, passed for2,780 yards and 33 TDs in his junior year. There is a solidreceiver Lewerke is familiar with in Cules Rose (17catches for 353 yards, 8 TDs). A summer transfer fromThunderbird -- Adam Turner -- will draw defensive atten-tion. Turner scored 16 TDs a year ago with 65 catches for1,233 yards for the D-III Chiefs. Coach Dana Zupke likesthe speed his team is blessed with, but looks to shore uplosses at running back and the linebacking corps. A goodset of linemen return Nick Maxey, Kent Cullumber and BenThomas.

Horizon: The Huskies caused a stir in the section and divi-sion last year with a surprising 8-3 record and by challeng-ing Pinnacle for the section crown. Coach Kris Heavner'sfirst year guiding the Huskies was a hit, especially the of-fense. No reason to believe the offense won't keep crank-ing out the points with quarterback Dalton Sneed back fora third varsity campaign. Sneed amassed 4,238 yards ofoffense -- 3,740 of it via the air 44 TDs and only 8 picks).Five lineman with appreciable varsity time and abilityshould keep the skill set protected, led by Jake Grant. De-fense is where improvement is a must. Linebackers ColeFinochiarro (116 tackles, 6 sacks, and 3 interceptions)and Jonathan Nolan and defensive end Nick Paogofie putup great stats individually and are players to build on. Fewif any state titles are won giving up 335 points (30 pergame) as Horizon did in 2013. Only Mesa Mountain View,Basha, and Desert Mountain gave up more points amongthe 16 playoff teams.

Boulder Creek: The Jaguars have a new coach as Bran-don Willard returns to the Valley where his coaching rootsas an assistant run deep with several schools. Willard washead coach the last two seasons at Amphitheater going 1-9 and 5-5 in two seasons. He inherits a couple marqueeplayers in lineman Nathan Eldridge (6-4, 280) andversatile Ryan Parenteau, a solid back and receiver whohad 21 catches for 355 yards and another 172 yards inlimited carries. Junior Gunther Johnson hopes to makestrides after a learning year on the run at the position as asophomore. Johnson passed for a modest 1,216 yards. Helooks to improve on the TD-interception ratio (6 TDs to 9interceptions).

Mountain Ridge: The Mountain Lions will lean on a strongsenior class they hope will be the difference in adding acouple wins and a playoff berth this year. Coach BobbyGreen begins his ninth season as Mountain Lions' mentor.


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Pinnacle’s Brian Lewerke should be among Arizona’s bestfield generals (photo by Mitchell B. Reibel/maxpreps.com).

Five defensive starters led by linebacker Billy McEowen(137 tackles, 4 sacks), linebacker-end Jake Skadeland (48tackles, 9 sacks) and interior lineman Logan Vanderleest(48 tackles) are a good starting point for a team that has toface the likes of strong offenfes from Pinnacle and Horizonin the section. Robert Limmer returns with several gamesunder his belt at quarterback as do a couple interior line-men -- Ryan Delung and Tanner Scott. The MountainLions question mark is sorting out options at running backand receiver as the season nears.

Sandra Day O'Connor: The Eagles finished fifth in thesection last year in what was a 2-8 season. They have asmattering of experience on offense in the skill positions.Quarterback Bailin Markridge, a junior this season, man-aged to pass for 1,026 yards and nine TDs. Skill positionslack depth, but there are defenders at each level that canproduce. Linebacker Chris Davis, safety Oscar Mills andtwo-way lineman James Pruitt have impressed over thesummer. SDO opens the season adding a game withHamilton.

North Canyon: The Rattlers also posted a 2-8 record

overall, but weren't able to muster a win over any of itssection opponents. Their wins were over D-II opponentsLake Havasu and Arcadia. Brett Molzhon returns at quar-terback where he passed for 1,067 yards and nine TDs.Top receiver and standout athlete Bryant O'Georgia gradu-ated. End Chance Sampson, who had 48 tackles and sixsacks, end Brett Kroll (42 tackles) and DB Jacob Mara (59tackles) are the core of the defense.


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Jake Grant, Horizon (photo by Paul campbell/maxpreps.com)


Salpointe Catholic's consistency last season on itsway to the Division II state football title was remark-able and eerie. The Lancers wowed with a prolific of-fense and its defense only needed to be about halfas good as it turned out for a 14-0 title romp. Only inpostseason did they give up more than a touchdownin a game.

Longtime coach Dennis Bene and his staff havethe experience and makings of another top-flight de-fense with five starters returning. If Salpointe piecestogether just an average offense this fall, it may beenough to hoist a second consecutive championshiptrophy come late November. The last Tucson schoolto claim back-to-back state titles at any level tookplace 37 years ago -- accomplished by Canyon delOro. The Dorados won 4A crowns in 1976 and 1977.

"Definitely the strength of our team is defense andour front seven," Bene said. 'We're very big and veryfast. That may surprise some people. I think they'll beas good as any defense in the state."

Salpointe will take the veterans from its 2013 de-fense and run with them. The returnees occupy spotsin the front seven led by senior linebacker TaylorPowell. Powell was in on a whopping 161 tackles lastseason and is one of the team's captains. Senior Jay-lyn Juan mans an end position and will be joined onthe front four by Justin Holt, Andrew Palomares andJulien Arechaga. Filling out the lineback corps withPowell are junior Jake Ksiazek and senior Chris Sulli-van. Salpointe's defense allowed just 101 points in 14games -- a touchdown per contest. The secondarywill experience an influx of primarily new faces, but isled by senior captain Dom Pedrotty (safety).Teauante Nash is the other safety and the cornerslook to be Jason Parrish and Adrian Lizarraga.

Identifying a quarterback to pilot Salpointe is thebiggest concern this fall. Andrew Cota's numbers andexpertise won't be replaced this year and neither willprolific receivers Cameron Denson and Kaelin De-Boskie. Cota was accurate and made few mistakes(two interceptions). And as great as its passing gamewas, the running game quietly did its share giving theoffense about a 50-50 split in 5,800 yards. Salpointescored an eye-popping 697 points -- a fraction shy of50 per game.

The Lancers quarterback battle is between seniorSam Muniz and freshman Jamarye Joiner. Muniz hasexperience on varsity and Joiner is a talent waiting tounload in some capacity. Joiner is the nephew of for-mer Amphi and Oregon standout Tamani Joiner.

"Jamarye reminds me of a young Cameron Den-son," Bene said. "He's already 6 feet, 170. If he doesnot play quarterback, he will be a receiver for us."

Taking over the running back duties will be a verybusy Powell and Zach Dorame. Dorame got somecarries along side the team's leading rusher last sea-son, Jay Williams, and checked in with nearly 600yards and six TDs. The receiving corps will be virtu-ally all new.

"At receiver we won't be as talented, but we'll havebetter depth," Bene said.

Salpointe's schedule has a couple revisions fromlast year. The Lancers aren't playing in the Sollen-berger Classic (a game they won vs. Liberty, Nev.) oragainst Crespi, Calif. In place of those games are aseason-opener at home Aug. 22 with Buena and aroad contest Sept. 19 with Campo Verde.

"After Sabino we have a bye and three roadgames in a row (Sunnyside), Campo Verde and Mar-cos de Niza," Bene said. "That stretch will be a test."

Salpointe Aims at D-II Repeat With DefenseRetooling Mega Skill-Position Losses Is Greatest Task

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1. SALPOINTE -- Making a bid for a second con-secutive state title isn't a stretch with half its start-ing defense back plus some very capablereplacements. Last year the Lancers' offensegrabbed many of the headlines in its 14-0 run toa championship. It's likely to be the defense thistime around with the likes of linebacker TaylorPowell and lineman Jaylyn Juan.

2. CENTENNIAL -- A stunning quarterfinal loss toDeer Valley last year should supply the motiva-tion for redemption. That defeat snapped a streakof 10 straight years the Coyotes reached thesemifinals or better in D-II (5A-2 or 4A) -- the divi-sion just below the big schools. Coach RichardTaylor has plenty of returning standouts led byrunning back Dedrick Young and on the defen-sive side Brett Tonz and Micah Navarette.

3. LIBERTY -- Who knows what might have hap-pened if Liberty hadn't drawn Salpointe in lastyear's quarterfinals. That turned out to be a death-knell for anyteam. The Lions posted an 8-4 record and return the ample talentto sustain a lengthy postseason run. Playing in the same sectionwith Centennial and Deer Valley makes the road to a section titlerough. With multi-sport athlete Tyler Wyatt back at quarterbackand key defensive personnel back in the mix coach Jason Ran-del's club is poised to make some noise.

4. IRONWOOD RIDGE -- The 2012 D-II champs endured a hugeretooling job last season and still managed a 6-5 mark and aplayoff berth. Chances are they'll be back in the mix with the abil-ity to hang around longer. Coach Matt Johnson is excited aboutthe team's strength as the new year dawns -- line play on bothsides of the ball. That was a key ingredient to its championshipseason.

5. CHAPARRAL -- A late coaching change in early spring slowedpreparation a bit, but new coach Conrad Hamilton has rolled uphis sleeves to keep the Firebirds in the thick of the division's best.Chaparral won 12 games last year and bowed in the final to Salpointe's juggernaut. They have a handful of key returners ledby quarterback Sean Brophy, but the graduation losses werepretty massive. Brophy will be guiding an offense that needsshepherding as a young group of skill players make their way.The high-powered offense of recent years may be down a click ortwo.

6. MARCOS DE NIZA -- This is another program that lost abunch of standouts to graduation and a few to transfer. ThePadres have been able to be among the elite in the D-II (5A-II)the past several seasons and have a chance to stay there de-spite the losses. New coach Sean Morin, who piloted the team inits two playoff games last November, is touting team speed andtoughness to bring about another playoff season.

7. CIENEGA -- Somewhat like Ironwood Ridge, Cienega is ex-

pecting a bounce-back season. The Bobcats posted a 5-5 recordand fell short of postseason after nine years of postseason playthat saw them banging on the door to the D-II finals, but enteringjust once. The Bobcats will be led by versatile two-way talent Terrence Johnson (receiver and defensive back).

8. MARANA MTN. VIEW -- Finishing second in its section to Salpointe was no shame and its road to the playoffs was pavedby beating all its other section foes who were busy beating up onone another. Coach Clarence McRae has some speed at his dis-posal and some capable returnees on defense -- about half from2013. Defense may have to carry the load as McRae's concern ishow much his offense can produce.

9. DEER VALLEY -- Can the school's best football finish ever interms of postseason advancement have a residual effect? Can'thurt. The Skyhawks did lose an enormous group of contributingseniors, particularly on offense that's going to make the afore-mentioned task difficult. The Skyhawks will work in a new quar-terback, running backs and most of their receiving corps. Thedefense should be solid, but must perform better when it matchesup against the more explosive offenses -- Liberty and Centennial-- like they did the second time they faced Centennial in the D-IIquarters last year.

10. POSTON BUTTE -- Folks will be following the first year of for-mer Blue Ridge coach Paul Moro with keen interest. The Broncosturned in a 3-7 record last year and dropped their last six games.Moro inherits a couple of solid players on each side of the ballthat are good starting points. The Broncos, however, play aschedule that features eight opponents who were .500 or betterlast year and five that reached postseason. They'll be tested outof the gate by last year's D-III runner-up, Queen Creek, on Aug.22.

Division II Preseason Rankings

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Salpointe topped Chaparral, 46-20, in the 2013 Division II State title game(photo by Mark Jones/maxpreps.com).


SeCTion iSunnyslope: The Vikings didn't mind competing in thelargest section (9 schools) in D-II. It navigated the sectionto perfection and topped its two non-section foes in postinga 10-0 mark. The season came to a sudden halt in theopening round of the playoffs with a resounding loss toDeer Valley. Coach Damon Pieri is eager to see if his teamcan recast its line, identify a quarterback and kicker. An un-beaten junior varsity team should help with a handful ofstarters back on each side of the ball. The Vikings havetwo accomplished skill players in senior running back TimFryson and senior wide receiver-linebacker Jacob Eshel-man. Fryson rushed for 1,448 yards and 18 TDs andadded 25 catches for 645 yards and 5 TDs. Eshelman tal-lied 24 receptions for 448 yards. Defensively he chipped in64 tackles, two sacks and one interception.

Betty Fairfax: The Stampede managed to piece togethera 7-3 campaign, but no playoff berth. In fact the only teamin the section to garner a playoff berth was Sunnyslope.There was a wide gap in the section between Sunnyslope

and the rest of schools. Betty Fairfax is hoping to close thegap on Sunnyslope. Coach Dylan Winemiller, who recentlyofficially took over for coach-turned-AD Kevin Belcher,cites the strength of the team as defense with sevenstarters back from 2013. Linebackers Dillon Proby (31tackles) and Angelo Lopez (61 tackles) did their job clean-ing up the opposition at the midpoint. Back in the second-ary it's Fabian Gholston (35 tackles, 4 interceptions) andDavid Perez (46 tackles). The question mark is the offen-sive line, a work in progress. Kevin Webb (583 yards rush-ing) and Gholston (15 catches for 341 yards) are the topskill players from a year ago.

Tolleson: The Wolverines were in the same boat as BetttyFairfax last year. They finished 8-3, but strength of sched-ule and overall strength of section left them short of post-season. Coach Jason Wilke has plenty of offensive lineexperience back and a good collection of defenders aswell. Finding running backs to operate behind a veteranline will be a primary chore. Javier Nava and CarlosGarcia are two of the top linemen. Brandon Frost is set tolead the defense. He turned in 72 tackles and three sacksat linebacker in 2013.

La Joya: The Lobos will try to climb the ladder a rung orso in the section after a 5-5 overall mark and 4-4 record insection play last season. Coach Josh Mitchell has a rosterwith 20 seniors and an experience offensive unit to leadthe way. The team was good on the ground last year andthat's the strength at the outset. Running back Javian Roebuck busted the 1,000-yard mark last year (1,212yards, 9 TDs). Wide out Adrien Freitas can contribute inthe passing game (278 yards receiving). The defense must

Football Division II Preview

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Head Coach Paul Moro assumes the reins at Poston Butteafter many championship-winning campaigns at Blue Ridge(photo by Todd Shurtleff/maxpreps.com)

mature quickly. Retooling is needed for the majority of thedefensive line and middle linebacker position. Top de-fender back is Ke'Von Dobson (30 tackles, four sacks), aDE-OLB.

St. Mary's: The Knights love to throw and that shouldn'tchange with quarterback Gabe Losada in tow. Losadathrew for 3,448 yards and 42 TDs as a junior. JeremiahSullivan and Tino Vidales are expected to reprise theirroles at receiver. Sullivan caught 67 passes for 717 yardsand 16 TDs; Vidales chipped in 28 receptions for 262yards. Coach Todd Williamson likes the team's offensivetempo. Defense must improve overall and particularly vs.the run. Depth is also a concern.

Copper Canyon: The Aztecs open 2014 with new coachShawn Kemmer at the helm. Kemmer inherits a 2-8 squadthat finished in the bottom third of the section. Kemmer isimpressed with the speed and athleticism he's seen, butthere is much work to be done on offense with threestarters back. Defensively he seeks a more physical pres-ence. Top defenders backs are safety Glenn Gonzalez (27tackles) and linebacker Tyree Marshall.

Camelback: Another school operating with a new fieldboss. It's Justin Watson as he tries his hand at getting theSpartans on the right track. They were 0-10 last year. Run-ning back Tony Miller played quarterback and running backand was most adept running the ball. He piled up 886yards and scored 9 TDs.

Trevor Browne: The Bruins are the fourth of the nineteams in the section introducing a new head coach. ChrisCrockett, a former assistant at Cesar Chavez, takes thereins from Rich Helton. The Bruins were 5-5, but like thebottom six teams in the section could not compete with thetop third of the section -- Sunnyslope, Fairfax and Tolleson.

Carl Hayden: The Falcons and fourth-year coach JeremyZimmerman continue to battle a numbers game. The Fal-cons were 2-8 last year, beating Camelback and D-IVCoronado.

SeCTion iiCienega: The Bobcats shared the section title withSahuaro and Buena last year, but power-ranking was thedeciding factor and denied them a playoff berth. Cienegawas 5-5 and is eager to get back to some November foot-ball. Coach Nemer Hassey has ample experience on bothsides of the ball. With its depth a factor, good health will becritical. Wide out-defensive back Terrance Johnson head-

lines the returnees. Senior quarterback Adriell Alvaradolooks to offer solid play again after passing for 1,811 yards,16 TDs and only four interceptions. Offensive lineman JoeTavizon is a top returnee. Johnson and two-way linemanDerek Sommers (64 tackles and four sacks) are the defen-sive leaders. Matt Aragon is one of the better puntersaround. He averaged 44 yards per punt last season andcan help out at other positions.

Buena: The Colts will be led by co-head coaches FrankValdez and Brice Bernbeck. Both worked on staff as assis-tants in recent years. Buena was 6-5 last year and got aweek's worth of postseason where it bowed to eventualsemifinalist Mesquite, 42-27. A solid group of returningplayers gives them a shot at postseason again.Receiver Deonte Williams hauled in 1,103 yards worth ofpasses last year. Linebackers Seth Doser contributed with93 tackles and Ryan Closwer added 70 tackles. Junior de-fensive back Jacob Valdez was busy in the secondary with97 tackles.

Sahuaro: The Cougars sported the best overall record inthe section among tri-champs Cienega and Buena. Theyfinished 8-3. Like Buena, they fell in the first round of theplayoffs to Campo Verde, 34-21. The Cougars have agood running game and a versatile performer in DerikHall to lead that facet. Hall rushed for 792 yards and 12TDs and was a threat receiving with 21 catches for 274yards. Hall doesn't rest as he plays linebacker and returnsas the top tackler. Omar Lloyd, a two-way player, showedplaymaking ability on defense with three interceptions andthree fumble recoveries.

Sunnyside: The Blue Devils have the wherewithal onpaper to challenge the top three teams in the section fromlast year. They were 5-5 and have nearly half their offen-sive starters back and two-thirds of their defense. Defen-sive leaders are linebackers Ruben Figueroa (61 tackles, 5sacks) and Aaron Sanders (93 tackles). The secondaryboasts Mike Grijalva (5 interceptions) and Anthony Per-alta (95 tackles). Peralta adds to the offense as a capablerunner and receiver and could be in for a bigger role on of-fense. Quarterback Bobby Rodriguez churned out 1,041yards rushing and passing last year as a sophomore.Coach Glenn Posey wants to see more consistent per-formances from his lineman.

Nogales: The Apaches moved up to D-II last year andpulled off a 4-6 record after a semifinal finish in D-III in2012. They go to battle with new head coach Kevin Kuhm.Kuhm has a standout athlete in junior Coy Colgate, gettingready for his third varsity season. Colgate rushed for 635


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yards and 12 TDs last year and led the team in tackles(112) plus three sacks. Kuhm plans on building the offenseand defense around the team's greatest asset --speed. Alan Ortega is the leading returning receiver with32 catches for 551 yards. Ben Jaiman checked in with 585yards on the ground and six TDs teaming with Colgate.Michael Hernandez and Francisco Sandoval are linemento watch. Depth will be an issue if some of the youngervarsity players don't develop quickly.

Desert View: The Jaguars return three offensive startersand two on defense from last year's 2-8 squad. That's notcomforting for new coach Robert Bonillas, but Desert Viewwill move forward. Returning players are defensive backMichael Meza, lineman Israel Colosio, defensive backMark Garcia, linebacker Gabriel Villa and Arturo Cruz.

SeCTion iiiCentennial: The Coyotes like to run opponents right outof games and expect more of the same this year with ateam physically strong and fast. Dedrick Young poundedaway last year for 1,696 yards and 17 TDs. QuentinGomez should attract attention as well after gaining 721yards and scoring 6 times. Defensively the line should beexcellent led by Micah Naverette, who was in on 52 tack-les and a ridiculous 17 sacks. Another stopper up front isBrett Tonz (6.5 sacks). Coach Richard Taylor's main con-cern is how a mostly new offensive line will perform. Playin the trenches hasn't been much of a problem in the past.The Coyotes are the team to beat in the section after pro-ducing another double-digit win season (10-2 in 2013).That's 11 years in a row with 10 wins or more.

Liberty: The Lions have plenty of firepower and experi-ence to make Centennial work for another section title. Liberty was 8-4 last year losing in the quarters to eventualchamp Salpointe. Their talent begins with quarterbackTyler Wyatt. Wyatt, who's future in athletics likely is inbaseball, passed for 2,745 yards and 26 TDs. He rushedfor 653 yards and 15 TDs. Cutting his interceptions (19) inhalf would likely make the offense more potent. There areplenty of seasoned targets available -- in Alex Hunter,Bryce Utter and Kory Wilson. They combined for 53 recep-tion, 871 yards and 9 TDs. Defense is stout with sevenstarters returning, led by lineman Aaron Blackwell, corner-back Wilson and linebackers Troy Bethsold and ChaseHulbert.

Deer Valley: The Skyhawks finished behind Centennialand Liberty in the section last year, but made the playoffsand lasted longer with a 9-4 mark. Their upset of Centen-

nial in the quarters earned them a semifinal berth oppositeSalpointe where the season ended abruptly. Deer Valleyhas rebuilding to do on offense, primarily the skill posi-tions. The defense should be solid and make it a con-tender in the section and division. A defensive line of BrianCalhoun (73 tackles, 13.5 sacks), Marquette Mitchell (86tackles and 8 sacks) and Marlon Roberts (62 tackles, 9.5sacks) is formidable. Josh Haldiman anchors the lineback-ing corps and Steven Fisher (78 tackles and two picks) thesecondary.

Apollo: The Hawks are shorter on experience than theaforementioned teams and that may make catching upwith the section elite difficult. Coach Zack Threadgill andthe Hawks won't let that stop their pursuit of more victoriesand the main goal of a playoff berth. Four starters are backon offense and those are skill positions. Mohammed Mo-hammed, who toiled at receiver is likely making the moveto quarterback. Steffon Canaday got some work at runningback and was an effective receiver, averaging 15 yards percatch. The top receiver returning is Jesse Dezarn (33 re-ceptions for 458 yards). Linebacker John Garcia (63 tack-les), defensive end Carson Taylor (29 tackles, 6 sacks)and linebacker Canaday (38 tackles) lead what hopes tobe an improved defense.

Ironwood: The Eagles posted a 2-8 record last year play-ing with lots of juniors and sophomores. A baptism by firefor some for sure. Their skill positions are sound led byrunning back Jett Robertson (1,173 yards, 10 TDs), re-ceivers Ethan Eberson (25-297, 6 TDs) and JourdainDong (22-227, 2 TDs) and quarterback Justin Cameron.Cameron shared time with Robertson. The mainstay upfront is tackle Christian Godina. Ironwood coach Ian Cur-tis says his team must overcome its lack of size on thelines. Speed at the skill positions and a good group of line-backers are the strengths. Ironwood lost all four of its non-section games -- all to opponents .500 or better for theseason and two that made the playoffs. Eight of the Eagles2013 foes (the same for this year) were .500 or better.

Willow Canyon: The Wildcats managed one win last year(1-9). As consolation that victory kept them from finishinglast in the section. Willow Canyon will look to senior cap-tain Alex Gallaspy, receiver and strong safety, to generateplays on both sides of the ball. Gallaspy rushed for 231yards and caught 20 passes for 222 yards. He struck pay-dirt four times all told. The defense has more experienceand productivity heading in to the season. In the second-ary Gallaspy had 47 tackles. Free safety Isac Boor was inon 38 tackles and grabbed two interceptions. Lineback-ers Colby Fornerette (68 tackles) and Josh Dutton (41


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tackles) and defensive back Jared Stangler (50 tackles)were steady.

Raymond Kellis: The Jaguars welcome new coachShawn Copeland. Raymond Kellis was last in the sectionand 2-8 overall. It won't be easy navigating a substantialturnaround this season. Copeland has two starters backon offense and three on defense. The junior varsity posteda 3-6 record last year so not a lot of winning experience.Top offensive returnee is wide receiver Austin Feaster (32catches, 367 yards). The defense is led by free safetyJacob Kessler, who amassed 65 tackles and picked offfour passes.

SeCTion iVCibola: The Raiders have managed to rule over this sec-tion the past several years and earn the one playoff berthallotted. Coach Lucky Arviso may get his toughest battleyet for section supremacy from Lake Havasu and GilaRidge, who challenged last year. Cibola returns fourstarters on offense and three on defense. The Raidersbiggest needs are at quarterback and all its starting line-backers, who graduated. Two talented skill players are asgood as any in the section -- running back Abe Thomp-son and receiver Michael DeCorse-Hall. Thompson rushedfor 987 yards and 17 TDs and hauled in 17 passes for 291yards from the coach's son last year. DeCorse-Hall had 39

catches for 786 yards and 7 TDs. The best returnee on de-fense is safety Isaiah Brown, who had 62 tackles and threeinterceptions. The section has shrunk to five teams fromsix since San Luis no longer fields a football program. Ci-bola's replacement foe is Trevor Browne.

Lake Havasu: The Knights won't win the section until theyfind a way to beat Cibola. The teams have met asregion/section opponents the last five years and Cibola is5-1 in those meetings. Lake Havasu returns 19 lettermenand veteran coach Karl Thompson has six starters back oneach side of the ball. Guys that carry and throw the ball fordecent yardage are among them -- quarterback GradyAtkins (1,489 yards, 13 TDs and six picks) and runningback Austin Stefick, who was 44 yards shy of 1,000 lastyear and scored 11 TDs. Thompson's focus is the trencheson both sides of the ball where experience and expertiseare in short supply as camp opens. Lake Havasu subs D-III Kingman for San Luis on its schedule.

Gila Ridge: The Hawks are aching for a breakthrough inbeating their biggest rival Cibola and in securing a playoffberth. Gila Ridge opened in 2007 and is set for its sixthvarsity football season. This year's seniors are seeing afifth varsity coach in four years. The newest mentor is TylerKosel, who comes from North Dakota. Kosel's installingthe spread and like the number of coaches in recent years,it's also another new offense for players. Gila Ridge oper-


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(From L to R) Chaparral’s Keenan Walker (photo by Mark Jones/maxpreps.com), Deer Valley’s Brian Calhoun (photo byChris Hook/maxpreps.com) and Centennial’s Dedrick Young (photo by Duane Matsen/maxpreps.com)

ated mostly out of the wing-T last year. Top returningplayer is quarterback Brandon Kehl. Gila Ridge, 3-7 in2013, nearly upended Cibola last year, dropping a heart-breaker the ninth week of the season, 16-14. Gila Ridge is1-4 in games between the schools, winning only in 2009,3-0. Gila Ridge is subbing D-III Mohave for San Luis in itsseason opener.

Yuma: The Criminals posted a 4-6 record for fifth-yearcoach Curt Weber, but none of those triumphs wereagainst Cibola, Havasu or Gila Ridge in section play. Yumahas 15 lettermen in camp and close to half its startersback. Top players among the returnees are runningback Chris Gonzalez (634 yards, 6 TDs), quarterbackRiley McAdam and linebacker Octavio Rios. Rios wasbusy with 54 tackles. There is experience up front as well,though not as much with offensive tackle Alonso Soto andguard Michael Dorion. Yuma takes on D-IV Parker in thegame that replaces San Luis on its schedule.

Kofa: The Kings picked up their only section win againstSan Luis on the way to a 2-8 finish. They also hired a newcoach in the offseason, taking on Ben Franz, who hailsfrom South Dakota. Kofa is the only team in the sectionsubbing out a D-I opponent for San Luis. Kofa's debutunder Franz will be against North High.

SeCTion VSalpointe: The Lancers are likely to have some dropoff of-fensively in attempting a title defense, but the defense withfive returnees and others ready to fill in sounds as thoughit will be another tough nut to crack. Salpointe has 40 let-termen back - at least twice that of everyone in the sectionexcept Ironwood Ridge. The Lancers have become aperennial D-II threat with the likes of Centennial and Chaparral with only three losses in the last three years toArizona schools (Notre Dame Prep, Centennial and Chaparral). With a 14-game winning streak in tow, every-one on the schedule will be out to give the Lancers theirbest shot. The defense features linebacker Taylor Powelland Jaylyn Juan as the top returnees.

Marana Mountain View: Like Salpointe, the MountainLions will be strong on the defensive side. Five starters re-turn scattered about the line, linebackers and secondary.Leading the group are linebackers JP Ramirez (47 tackles,2 interceptions), linebacker Sam Ross, defensive end En-rique Sparkman and safeties Justice Summerset andJustin Guana. The team is blessed overall with speed butoffensive productivity is the question mark facing ClarenceMcRae's team. The Mountain Lions added Demetrius

Flannigan, a receiver-defensive back, recently via transferfrom Tucson High. A tough non-section slate of Mesquite,Desert Vista, Poston Butte and rival Marana precedes sec-tion battles.

Tucson: The Badgers reeled off a third consecutiveseven-win season, two of which resulted in playoff berths,including last year. Coach Justin Argraves (21-11 in threeseasons), fields a good set of skill players. Quarterbackand offensive line play are going to need time to develop.Picking up a win over Ironwood Ridge last year was huge,but may be tougher this season with a more mature Iron-wood Ridge. Tucson struggled with Mountain View, and ofcourse, Salpointe.

Ironwood Ridge: The Nighthawks acquitted themselveswell as a defending state champ that lost 90 percent of itsstarters and played quite a few sophomores. Matt John-son's 6-5 team made the playoffs even though it was aone-game stay. They have 30 lettermen in camp and sixstarters back on both sides of the ball. Senior linebackerAustin Goddard (71 tackles, 4.5 sacks) and junior defen-sive back Jared McKemy had good years in 2013. Juniorrunning back Cole McLafferty rang up 669 yards rushingand 7 TDs as team's second-leading rusher. Junior tightend Matt Solverson was very productive with 34 catchesfor 535 yards. Linemen Chase Laurita and KristianBecerra are solid on offense and could serve double duty.The kicking chores settle in the capable hands of NathanFarmer -- both punting and place-kicking.

Vista Grande: The Spartans tallied a 3-7 mark in coachTracy Stuart's first season. They won once in the sectionbeating Rincon and triumphed over Central and rival CasaGrande in non-section games. Vista Grande has huge hillto climb to do to battle competitively with Salpointe, Moun-tain View, Ironwood Ridge and Tucson. The Spartans lostthose four games last year by an average margin of 45-3.Top players are Keith Marson and Nate Agmata.

Rincon: The Rangers finished 0-10 last year and sport anew coach in Lucius Miller. Rincon has one winning sea-son in the last eight years and has dropped its last 20games in a row.

SeCTion ViMesquite: The Wildcats managed a big season in veterancoach Jim Jones' first year on the job. They took home asection title and final-four appearance in to go with an 11-2record after dropping from D-I to D-II. Jones added twoveteran head coaches to his staff in the spring with Tom


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Joseph (East Valley stops at Marcos de Niza, Mesa Mtn.View and Corona del Sol) and Roy Lopez, an assistantunder Joseph at Marcos and most recently head coach atMarcos de Niza. This year's team will need to grow andimprove quickly to match last year. Three starters are backon each side of the ball, none with large roles on offenseand mostly limited opportunities. Jones likes the size over-all quickness and strength of the squad. Players looking tofill big shoes of graduates on offense are Mike Premraj atrunning back and Colton Gonzales at receiver. LinebackerZach Lamatrice (28 tackles, 5.5 sacks) had a solid year ondefense. The Wildcats need to be up to speed when sec-tion play begins in October in what should be a hotly-con-tested battle for the top spot.

Marcos de Niza: The Padres couldn't repeat their regular-season victory vs. Chaparral in the quarterfinals and set-tled for a 7-5 finish. Assistant Sean Morin, who was interimcoach in the postseason, now is the coach and has muchto work with in rallying the Padres. More than half thestarters on both sides of the ball return. The defense hasits leader in linebacker Andrew Rodriguez (147 tackles, 3sacks) plus steady linebacker mate Jacob Hernandez (136tackles). Spearheading the secondary is Byron Murphy (60tackles, 3 interceptions). Luke Nguyen and Malique Sharpshould serve the offensive backfield well. Nguyen had anearly even split of touches (79) rushing and receiving with764 yards and 8 TDs.

Campo Verde: The Coyotes have good numbers, butneed to retool quite a few positions to approach last year'ssuccessful 9-3 season under coach Max Ragsdale.Campo Verde nearly turned around an ugly loss toMesquite on the final night of the regular season twoweeks later in the quarters. The defense returns somevery good frontliners. The biggest -- literally -- is defensivetackle Finton Connolly (6-3, 280). Connolly was good for90 tackles and 5 sacks. In the next wave is middle line-backer Marcus Vaivao (90 tackles). The bulk of last year'sskill position standouts graduated so that leaves it to play-ers like running back Zach Wheeler (376 yards, 2 TDs)and receiver-defensive back Erik Hildebrandt to step up.Hildebrandt had 68 tackles and three picks in the Coyotes'secondary and played a backup role on offense. Two vet-eran offensive linemen lead that unit -- DJ Kauer andColton Johns.

Poston Butte: The Broncos have a new coach, not yourordinary one, either. The coach that began the program --Mike De La Torre -- has moved on to become principal atsection-rival Campo Verde. That move made way for long-time Blue Ridge coach Paul Moro to head south and try his

hand in D-II. Moro is the second-winningest coach of all-time in state history behind Vern Friedli. Moro has a stal-wart running back in Brandon Hatfield (1,146 yardsrushing, 322 yards receiving and 19 total TDs) and a pro-lific defender in linebacker Chris Musselman (117 tackles).Two good pieces at the outset, but it takes much more.Russell Corriveau played well at quarterback (1,272 yardsand nine TDs) for the 3-7 Broncos. Building the type oflines Moro is used to in his tenure will be primary task andkey to whether or not the Broncos can contend in the up-coming weeks.

Westwood: The Warriors enter year three with coachSpencer Stowers, who saw more success from his squadat the D-II level than at D-I. Westwood was 6-4 last yearand grabbed a late win over Poston Butte for its first win-ning season since 2007.That marked a five-win improve-ment over the first season-- 1-9 in 2012 in D-I.

SeCTion ViiChaparral: The Firebirds reached the D-II (5A-II) titlegame for the fifth time in six years in 2013. A late departureby Dave Huffine as coach in the spring led to defensive co-ordinator Conrad Hamilton getting the nod as his replace-ment. Hamilton was head coach for a year at NorthCanyon in 2011 and fashioned a 6-5 campaign from theRattlers. Chaparral returns quarterback Sean Paul Brophy,who with a talented corps of receivers, passed for 2,167yards and 18 TDs. Brophy will be targeting mostly a newset of receivers with the top three all graduated. Runningback also will feature players who have big shoes to fillafter a couple senior backs completed their careers. TheFirebirds have a standout offensive lineman in KeenanWalker to anchor the line. The defense has leaders in line-man-linebacker Brandon Jamison (48 tackles, 5.5 sacks),defensive back Kurt Shughart (58 tackles, 4 picks) andlinebacker Robbie Kleifield (93 tackles).

Notre Dame Prep: The Saints return a small senior classin trying to bust the playoff barrier under third-year coachGary Gregory. The Saints are 11-10 over the last twoyears, 6-5 in 2013. There are a smattering of playersacross both sides of the ball that turned in numericallygood seasons. Senior running back Connor Grahamrushed for 787 yards and 13 TDs and receiver Alex Manovhad 21 catches for 316 yards, 4 TDs. Linebacker BrendanWhite and cornerback Scooter Bankofier are back on de-fense. A weapon if the Saints fall short in the red zone orbeyond is kicker Grayson Naquin, one of the elite at hisposition in the state. Naquin made 5-of-7 field goals lastyear and connected on a 51-yarder.


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Paradise Valley: The Trojans saw longtime coach DonnieYantis exit for a shot at college head coaching at ArizonaChristian. Yantis’ departure led to the hiring of Greg Davis,who piloted section rival Cactus Shadows the past threeyears. Davis likes to utilize the spread, but rather than apass-happy brand will opt for more running plays. He hasskill-position veterans in senior quarterback Daniel Bridge-Gadd (2,410 yards passing, 27 TDs. Junior Jacob Brownwas an integral part of the receiving corps and is set up tobe the top target in 2014. Brown had 39 receptions for 439yards and 4 TDs. An accomplished back returns as well,Max Vankempen (972 yards, 7 TDs). In all seven offensivestarters return, a few less on defense from a 5-5 squad.Top defender is outside linebacker Zach Compestine.

Cactus Shadows: The Falcons will be guided by MikeHudnutt after his hiring to replace Greg Davis. They posteda 6-4 record, but like Notre Dame, Arcadia and Paradise Valley couldn’t crack the playoffs along with section champChaparral. The ground game figures to be in good handswith senior Antonio Marchica. Marchica rushed for 859yards and 9 TDs. Nick Bobelick and Braxton Gallion, capa-ble receivers with 23 and 22 catches last year, respec-

tively, should reprise those roles. Defensive lineman AaronLiermann (49 tackles, 4 sacks) leads the defense.

Arcadia: The Titans have more experience back on de-fense from a 5-5 season. Linebacker Dylan Turelli is themainstay of the unit with 44 tackles and three intercep-tions. Defensive lineman Manny Elizaldo had 30 tacklesand 4.5 sacks. Eight starters – full or part-time – give third-year coach Lenny Abt good numbers. Abt’s concern is anoffensive line likely to feature all underclassmen. One withsize and experience is junior tackle Riley Kaye (6-3, 280).Skill position returnees include quarterback Jake Sheedy,running back AJ Bates (537 yards rushing and receiving)and receiver Devon Ferguson (43 catches for 533 yards).


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The profile of the Sollenberger Classic presentedby Station Casinos and one of this year’s participantscontinues to grow nationally.

Last year, the Sollenberger Classic, the 9th annualtwo-day football event that honors the late Arizonahigh school sports historian Barry Sollenberger, wastelevised nationally for the first time. What better wayto celebrate the growth of the Classic this year thanby watching the nation's No. 1 team play one ofPhoenix’s storied programs, Brophy.

It’s the first time that a preseason No. 1, the rank-ing USA TODAY gave Nevada Bishop Gorman, willplay in the Classic. The No. 1 ranking also is a firstfor Bishop Gorman.

The Las Vegas school will host the Classic for thesecond consecutive year at its college-like stadium.Bishop Gorman will play Brophy Aug. 22, and Moun-tain Pointe and Reed will square off the following day.

Arizona’s record against Nevada’s teams is 7-2 inthe Classic. Last year, Bishop Gorman was alsohighly touted heading into the Classic, but MountainPointe won 28-21, helping propel the team to a mem-orable national top-10 undefeated season. Some offthe field issues hampered Bishop Gorman before lastyear’s game, but so far this year the team is just fo-cused is on its next Classic opponent.

“Football is a funny game,” said Bishop Gormancoach Tony Sanchez, who’s won a state title everyyear since taking over Bishop Gorman in 2009. “Iknow it’s a cliché, but it is really a one game at a timedeal.”

Sanchez’s 2014 team is explosive on each side ofthe ball and carries a couple of high-profile athleteswith big-time ties.

Alize Jones is the top-rated tight end in the nation.Four star recruit receiver Cordell Broadus’ father isSnoop Dogg.

Notre Dame-bound safety Nicco Fertitta’s dad isthe UFC CEO. Muhammad Ali is the grandfather of

the fastest player on the team, running back BiaggioAli Walsh.

But as Bishop Gorman found out last year, Arizonateams can also float like a butterfly and sting like abee. Like Mountain Pointe, the odds of pulling off aLas Vegas knockout also are against Brophy.

The Phoenix school is coming off a season inwhich it suffered a handful of injuries.

“Last year we had more injuries than any team I’vebeen around at any level,” said Brophy coachScooter Moolander, a former pro quarterback. “Wehad the worst luck.”

Despite the injuries and a losing regular seasonrecord, Brophy’s strength of schedule helped it reachthe playoffs, as its young players matured while play-ing unexpected minutes.

One of those players who stepped in was juniorquarterback/athlete Cade Knox, a junior with a bettergrasp of the team’s west coast offense. Defensiveend Connor Murphy (6-7, 240), a Stanford and Ari-zona State recruit, also was injured but is ready to goand so is Ryan Velez, who rushed for 1,189 yardslast year.

Mountain Pointe will dress 14 new starters, but theteam is reloading this season. A couple of the well-known commodities, Division I recruits Nick Carmanand defensive tackle Bruce Hester, are in thetrenches.

Another D-I recruit, speedster Paul Lucas, will lineup in various spots, including running back, wherethere’s depth. Coach Ernie Howren helped turn Reedinto the dominant program in northern Nevada.

The program made its third ever trip to a state finallast year and has had only two losing seasons sinceHowren was named head coach in 2001.

Reed High’s linemen match up well against Moun-tain Pointe’s big boys.

“It (Reed) will be one of the biggest teams we'llface this year,” Mountain Pointe coach NorrisVaughan said.

The 2014 Sollenberger Classic

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By Don Ketchum, aia365.com

It didn’t take long for football players from Scotts-dale Saguaro to start chomping at the bit to get goingagain after capturing the Division III state champi-onship in 2013.

“After about four days of being off, they startedknocking down the door of the weight room,’’ saidcoach Jason Mohns.

Mohns said about 80 players, current freshmenthrough juniors, participated in spring ball and quite afew played in seven-on-seven passing drills duringthe summer at various locations, including ArizonaState.

Mohns and his staff are excited about the qualitydisplayed by those players, as well as depth.

It’s clear why the Sabercats are listed No. 1 byBarry Sollenbeger’s Preseason Magazine with astrong chance to earn another title trophy in 2014.

The primary challengers will be state runner-upQueen Creek, Gilbert Williams Field, GoodyearDesert Edge, Gilbert Higley, Tucson Sabino, Peoriaand Glendale Cactus.

“The great thing is that many of our guys are bat-tling for jobs, and that’s what you want,’’ Mohns said.

Saguaro lost to neighborhood rival ScottsdaleChaparral (Division II) to begin last season, but thenran off 13 straight wins, including the 47-25 win over2012 champion Queen Creek in the title game at theUniversity of Arizona Stadium in Tucson. Saguaronow has seven state football titles.

“We’ve got a good corps of players coming backand a lot of them also are good leaders,’’ Mohnssaid.

One player who won’t be coming back, whoseshoes will be difficult to fill, is quarterback LukeRubenzer, who set season and career records fortouchdown passes and was prolific running the ball.Rubenzer will be a freshman at the University of Cali-fornia-Berkeley this fall.

The man who served as Rubenzer’s primarybackup last year was Kare (pronounced Car-ay)Lyles. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound junior-to-be already isreceiving a lot of attention from college recruiters.

Mohns calls him an athletic pocket passer.“He’s got a strong arm and he’s athletic. He’s not

going to run for 3,000 or so yards like Luke did, buthe is capable of hurting you with his feet.

“He certainly has a lot of potential, but he hasn’tdone anything in a game yet.’’

Somebody who has done things in games is sen-ior-to-be Christian Kirk. He is out of the mold of for-mer Saguaro star D.J. Foster, now at Arizona State.

“We want him to touch the football,’’ Mohns said.This is why:In the state championship game, Kirk rushed 18

times for 156 yards and a pair of touchdowns, andcaught five passes for 101 yards and two morescores.

Kirk has received offers from many of the majorfootball powers across the country.

“He sets a good example. As good as he is on thefield, he might be even better off it,’’ Mohns said.

Kirk lined up as a wideout about 60 percent of thetime and in the backfield about 40 percent, Mohnssaid, “but this year, it could be flipped or be 50-50.We don’t want opponents to settle in on him being inonly one place.’’

Kirk should have plenty of help from his team-mates, which will include defensive back-wide re-ceiver Byron Murphy.

And Mohns added to his arsenal with the transferof senior all-purpose player Kam’ron Johnson fromTempe High.

Perhaps Kirk said it best himself after the win overQueen Creek, in regard to the 2014 season:

“We gotta come back and do this again,’’ he said.

Saguaro Looking for Another Title in D-III

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No. 1 SCOTTSDALE SAGUARO. How doyou figure out whether the Sabercats arecapable of winning another champi-onship? Start with 45, yes, 45, returninglettermen. All-purpose player ChristianKirk has at least 37 Division I scholarshipoffers. Saguaro might not be as talentedas Division I brothers Phoenix MountainPointe and Chandler Hamilton or DivisionII neighbor Scottsdale Chaparral, but it ispretty darn close.

No. 2 QUEEN CREEK. The Bulldogs wonit all in 2012 and were runners-up toSaguaro a year ago. With nearly as manyreturnees (35) as Saguaro, there’s no rea-son to discount their chances of reachingthe big game again. Having one of thebest running backs in the state – WestonBarlow – definitely is a plus.

No. 3 GILBERT WILLIAMS FIELD. Steve Campbelldoesn’t have a 68-13 record in seven seasons as theBlack Hawks’ head coach by chance. He knows how toput together a solid team. He has another with a de-fense that swarms to the ball. The inexperienced of-fense will need to grow up in a hurry. The team has 35players back from its team that was the No. 1 seed en-tering last year’s tournament.

No. 4 GOODYEAR DESERT EDGE. Gone are star re-ceiver Elijah Marks, linebacker Ismael Murphy-Richardson and quarterback Anthony Hernandez, butcoach Rich Wellbrock has a good stash of firepower re-turning with promising sophomores Tehran Thomas atquarterback and Roshaun Johnson at running back. If afew young receivers step up, all should be OK.

No. 5 GILBERT HIGLEY. Coach Eddy Zubey says histeam is going to throw deep and score fast. The de-fense faces more of a challenge – preventing oppo-nents from doing the same. Zubey said the Knights“have the potential to be a very solid team and makesome noise come playoff time.’’

No. 6 ORO VALLEY CANYON DEL ORO. The Doradoshave been one of the most consistent programs insouthern Arizona for quite some time, and this year’sversion should be able to make its mark. The team has

a combined 15 or so starters returning, but needs to de-velop depth quickly.

No. 7 GLENDALE CACTUS. With two wins, long-timeCobras coach Larry Fetkenhier will join the 300-victoryclub for his career, but it is playoff wins and maybe evena state-title triumph that he covets more. Cactus hasgood experience on offense, particularly up front, butdefense is another story.

No. 8 PEORIA. Former Peoria quarterback Will Babbenters his third season leading the Panthers’ program.The team always has been strong offensively, and thisyear appears to be no different. Babb needs a few lead-ers, and one of them should be quarterback AnthonyGuevara, who had six starts last season.

No. 9 TUCSON SABINO. The steady Jay Campos re-turns for another year guiding the Sabino ship. TheSabercats have good strength and speed, but havequestion marks in the offensive line. If Campos can getimprovement in that area, the team should be able tomake a playoff run.

NO. 10 SURPRISE SHADOW RIDGE. The team had astrong playoff run in 2013, finishing 9-3. But coach RicoTipton departed and Ray Karvis leads the team now.The Stallions look strong in the skill positions and havedecent depth. Developing an offensive line will beamong the team’s most important story lines.

Division III Preseason Rankings

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Saguaro celebrates their victory in the 2013 Division III state finals (photoby Mark Jones/maxpreps.com).


Section iBarry Goldwater: “Don’t sleep on Goldwater.’’ That’s theword from second-year coach Rich Metcalf. The Bulldogsreturn nine starters on offense, led by QB Kooper Ray, TEDanny Reyes and RB Ronnie Reed. LB Zeke Palomares isone of the defensive leaders.

Cactus: In a nutshell, coach Larry Fetkenhier will mainlyrun the ball, keep defenses honest with passing, have bigoffensive linemen and a hard-hitting defense. The top play-ers are QB Preston Guerra, WR Uriah Williams, LB BryanRamirez, DB Colton Whitmire and OL Alex Williamson.Others to watch are RB Austin Marshall, RB Jaylon James,RB Chad Jennings, LB Matt Ledesma, OL Brandon Lewis,OL Zack Kennedy, OL Kelvyn Martin and WR Xavier Villar-real.

Greenway: Watch out for the Demons’ offensive line. It isready to pancake some people. Coach K.J. Anthony likesthe size of these men up front – Gabriel LaGrange (6-4,260), Jacob Brekken (6-6, 285) and Ian Fox (6-3, 265).The team expects to get improved production from LB/FB

Robby Deaver, TE/LB Josh Marquez and RB/CB RomeoRobertson.

Peoria: The Panthers might be as balanced as they havebeen in awhile. Coach Will Babb will count on LBs FrankieLeal (120 tackles, 16 for loss) and Donovan Yabo (81/9),RB Akeem Rutledge (800 yards, 16 TDs), QB AnthonyGuevara (6 starts, 140-yard average, 10 TDs), OL LucasEsparza and PK Kenneth Castellanos (6-7 FG, longest of53).

Sunrise Mountain: Coach James Carter will rely heavilyon an improved offensive line, but needs to shore up someof his skill positions. The Mustangs’ top players are STristin Decker, QB/WR/LB Garrett Weisinger, LB MattBuckhannon, O-linemen Jacob Leonard and Mike Bralish(both two-year starters), and sophomore QB Chase Cord,who started five games as a freshman and threw for 1,300yards.

Section iiCholla: It will be one step at a time for first-year coach Vir-gil Henderson and his team. The Chargers were winless ayear ago, but give the returning players credit – they areout to make something of themselves. The top players areOL/DL Dandre Yancey, OL/DL Jerome Doss, RB/DB Armando Vasquez and RB/DB Jamie Gallegos.

Douglas: New coach Riki Valdez takes over a youngteam, but one that has potential. Valdez considers BlakeRose to be one of the best QBs in southern Arizona. Thedefense will be led by FS Aaron Maytapene.

Empire: In its second year in Division III, coach W.T. Jef-fries’ team has good skill players, but needs a strong of-fensive line to allow them to flourish. The team might beable to create problems for opponents with return menEthan Eagerton and Isaiah Martin. Other key players areQB Lorenzo Sanchez, RB/LB Mike Shalvay, OL/DL EarlHastings, RB/OLB K.C. Finn and WR/DB Tommy Letarte.

Sabino: Clearly the class of the section and one of thebest in the division. Coach Jay Campos’ Sabercats willhave good speed but need to strengthen their play upfront. Campos has an outstanding QB in Emilio Araiza(2,550 yards, 36 TDs, only 6 INTs). Leading tackler TylerFellner is back at LB, and sacks leader Marcus Edwards isback on the prowl from his DL spot.

Section iiiApache Junction: The slate is clean for the first-yearcoach Vance Miller and the Prospectors. Miller says in-volvement in the program has increased 25 percent over2013. Start with Adam Abbatacola, referred to by Miller as

Football Division III Preview

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“the best left-handed quarterback in the state.’’ Next is RBRiley Przybyszewski, called “Mack Truck.’’ At 6-9 and 330pounds, OL Justin Crespo is as big as Superstition Moun-tain himself. MLB Cody Morgan led the team in tackles asa junior. Patrick Benavidez is solid as a SS/KR, and Millersays NG Frank Aiello “is unstoppable, fast and furious.’’

Higley: This is a tough section, but coach Eddy Zubey’sKnights might find a way to reach the playoffs. Zubey saysQB Tyler Bloom is being looked at by at least five Division Ischools. WR Trent Gilbert also is on colleges’ radar.WR/DB Bayley Cook should play a major role along withLB/WR James Garcia.

Queen Creek: It’s no fluke that the Bulldogs have enteredthe state title picture and will remain there for a long time.Depth at most positions will allow competition in the pre-season, which will be to coach Travis Schureman’s advan-tage throughout the season. Weston Barlow is one of thetoughest RBs in the state, and the Bulldogs have quality in

QB/DE Boyce Dobbs, WR/DB Xavier McGuire, LB NateNeville, DE Skylar Bollman, DL Keaton Pilimai and TE/DEHunter Redd.

Saguaro: The football assembly line is moving alongnicely, and a second straight state title is well within reachfor coach Jason Mohns and his Sabercats. The team fea-tures some of the top players anywhere in all-purposeplayers Christian Kirk and Kam’Ron Johnson (transferfrom Tempe High), WR/DB Cameron Koutsalas, LB/TEJohn Sells, DT/OL Domonic Natoli, LB Skylar Seminara,OL Michael Weinstein and two-way lineman Kayden Lyles.

South Mountain: Coach Daryl Phillips continues with hischallenge of rebuilding the school’s rich football tradition.He lists intelligence, quickness and youth as the team’sstrengths and points to RB Antwaun Ware as one of themost productive players.

Williams Field: Coach Steve Campbell’s Black Hawks areexpected to challenge for the section and state crownswith these noteworthy players: OL Cade Cote, WR KennyOwens, OL/DL Jeff Maycock, LB Jaxxon Fagg, RB/DBJosh Page, LB Shane Fine, LB Garrett Rohde, CB QuinnGardner, DL Cayden Dickie, DL Alex Bell and PK/P BlakeRuiz.

Section iVCoconino: It will be a steep learning curve with first-yearcoach Jeremiah Smith implementing new schemes onboth sides of the ball, but the Panthers are up for the task.Smith has the luxury of two QBs (Jess Kuehl and CristoTabares), a solid FB in Ray Crank, a good two-way playerin OL/LB Cesar Andrade and CB Marcus Martinez-Baca.

Kingman: Greg Tonjes took over the Bulldogs’ programwhen David Ward resigned in mid-July, and the team onlyhas seven seniors. But Tonjes says, “This team is incredi-bly excited to get rolling. Our goal is nothing short of theplayoffs.’’ Tonjes will attempt to use a faster-paced offense.QB/LB Daniel Wiliford looks to be the team leader. WR/CBTyler Tapia is a potential standout, as are OT/DT AbrahamRullas and WR/S Garret Stephens.

Mingus: Bob Young is back for another tour of duty as theMarauders’ coach, and appears to have a strong group towork with. Skill-position depth and linebackers arestrengths, but the linemen need to step it up. Top playersare RB Javin Helsel, LB Levi Collins, DB Herb Tiffany, OLAndre May, OL Cordell McKeever, OL Charles Novak,TE/LB Zack Simmons and TE/LB Trevor Galloway.

Mohave: Off-season improvement in strength and speedshould help coach Rod Holmes’ team have a chance to


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Higley’s quarterback tyler Bloom in certainly a player towatch in 2014 (photo by paynterpics.com).

erase some of the clouds from a 1-9 finish in 2013.Holmes says his team has a lot of good senior leadership.Players looking to step up are QB Harry Stevenson, DEMalik Garrett, OG D.J. Dorantes, RB/LB Jason Urquiza,WR/CB Nick Smith, SS Xander Perry and TE MichaelPrince.

Prescott: Coach Cody Collett has a handful of experi-enced players, but overall, the Badgers must grow up in ahurry. The team’s top players are TE Elijah Smith and WRSkylor Clinton.

Section VCanyon del Oro: Coach Dusty Peace figures to have astrong running game and will employ the Dorados’ usualhard-hitting defense. The top players are OL JaredMcElmell, LB Walker Padilla, WR Tommy Sawyer, OL JoshCronk, LB Tristan Peterson and RB Max Smith.

Flowing Wells: Coach Mark Brunenkant has some young


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players, but many of them are experienced. They will needit as they attempt to turn things around after finishing 1-9.The Caballeros’ top players are RB/DB Dionte Flores,QB/DB/WR Julio Sandoval, WR/DB Cody Liddeke, LB/WRFabian Felix, RB/LB Nick Mason, OL/LB Justin Hejl,OT/DT Michael Hall, WR/DB Tyler Steiner, WR/DERichmond Zavalza and WR/DB Danny Contreras.

Marana: Coach Andy Litten gets directly to the point whenassessing his team’s chances in 2014. “I think we can be atop 10 team,’’ he said, “but I don’t think we deserve to beplaced there until we start winning big games.’’ Start withtwo-way lineman Christian Lopez, who is a three-yearstarter; and go with TE/DE Travis Howard and RB BradleyGonzalez, who hopes to surpass the 1,000-yard barrierthis season.

Maricopa: The departure of coach Cory Nenaber forTempe Corona del Sol opened the door for Chris McDon-ald, and he wants to take advantage of it. “I like the wayour team is responding so far to the new coaching staff,’’he said. “We have a core group of kids who have bought inthis past off-season and we look to build upon last year.’’The team’s top players are QB/DB Isiah Pedro, OL/LBChad Cochran, DT/OL Kenny Ball, RB/DB GeovanniWalker and WR Elisha Donaldson.

Section ViAlhambra: Frank Lautt has endured many ups and downsin his 20 seasons as the coach of the Lions, and he is hop-ing for an upward trend this fall. Lautt appears to have asolid wall forming in the trenches and will go from there.Top players are Zyair Joyce, who is moving from LB to SS;RB Emmanuel Sterling, RB Lakel Davis, OL AngelHernandez, OL Mike Gutierrez and OL JiovanniHernandez.

Moon Valley: Coach Sam Jacobs has a combined 17 re-turning starters, which should bode well for the Rockets.The JV team only lost one game in 2013 and should pro-vide depth. “We feel like we are on the edge of turning thecorner,’’ Jacobs said. His top players are QB/DB ShannonBurton, WR Tim Adams, WR/DB Devin Knight, WR/DBBrett Voss, DB Nick Carlon, OL C.J. Lockwood and DLDavion Grey.

Tempe: Coach Brian Walker has good skill players and asolid offensive line, but not much depth and youth in otherkey positions. The transfer of all-purpose player Kam’RonJohnson to Scottsdale Saguaro certainly doesn’t help mat-ters. Still, the Buffaloes have a big, strong QB in EmanuelGant, two-way lineman Robbie Acosta, C Mario Salas-Cano, WR/DB Quntion Garrett, LB Daniel Taylor, DE Jordan Davis and LB Joey Savage.

Sabino’s emilio Araiza guides the Sabercat offensive attack(photo by Mark Jones/maxpreps.com).

Thunderbird: According to coach Brent Wittenwyler, theChiefs have “athleticism, talent and coachability, but weneed a lot of young kids (including a QB) to become foot-ball players.’’ Like Tempe, T-Bird had a key player transfer(WR Adam Turner, to Phoenix Pinnacle). Wittenwylerpresses on with RB/DB/WR Kaleb Hofer, RB/WR DominicKing, TE/DE Marcus Boyd, RB/LB Zack Gomez andRB/WR/DB Frank Russo.

Section ViiAgua Fria: Coach Tony Cluff’s Owls should have a stingydefense, but the offense needs to develop. Top players areDE Michael Peoples, LB Raider Diaz, C Eric Rojas, LBJosh Reinhart, QB Steven Medrano and RB TristenRainey.

Buckeye: Long-time coach Bobby Barnes moved out ofstate for family reasons, and another guy who has beenaround awhile, Kelley Moore, takes over. Moore has theknack for getting the most out of his players, often doingso against teams with more talent. But he has plenty of tal-ent coming back – OL Jesus Ochoa, OL Yancey Vansodel,OL/LB Josh Kellman, QB Art Bojorquez and DB KeiontaeBell.

Desert Edge: Rich Wellbrock is a high-energy coach, andhe wants his team to play the same way. The Scorpions

have been knocking on the door of a state title for the lastfew years and would like to enter this season. Wellbrockhas 28 lettermen returning. Top players are OL/DL Sebast-ian Anderson, OL/DL Brage Cape, RB/DL Derek Edgin, LBFeliciano Murillo, RB/LB Alex Aguirre, DL Trevor Chaddock, OL/DL Hunter Jones and RB/LB RoshaunJohnson.

Shadow Ridge: After a 9-3 finish and a playoff spot,coach Rico Tipton bolted the program to join the staff atChandler Hamilton, so former Tonopah Valley coach RayKarvis stepped in. The team should be able to stay closeto the top 10 most of the season with players such asWR/DB Kalen Buchanan, WR/CB Trey Campbell, QB/LBTrevor Mucci and LB/DE Kyle Doren.

Verrado: The Vipers had six losses in 2013 by a combined28 points. “If we win some close games (in 2014), wemight have a chance to do something special,’’ said coachDerek Wahlstrom. He is relying on the fact that his teamwill show more maturity. The list of potential impact playersincludes QB Eric Ruiz, RB Ross Dietz, WR Nathan Roehl,WR Xavier James, OL Marco Anaya, OL Travis Smith,TE/FB Chris Slaughter, OL Blair Broady, LB/S Eric Ca-bello, DE Darby Neal, DB Logan Daoust, DL CameronStigsell and S Emilio Rodriguez.


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Queen creek’s Weston Barlow (photo by Mark Jones/max-preps.com)

Veteran cactus Head coach Larry Fetkenheir (photo bypaynterpics.com)


Picking a No. 1 team in Division IV is a difficult taskfor Barry Sollenberger’s Preseason Magazine – quite afew teams are capable of holding down that spot.

But we are going to go with Show Low, with defend-ing champion Lakeside Blue Ridge, Show Low’s WhiteMountains rival, a close second. Show Low lost severalplayers from that season’s No. 1 seed, but has a lot oftalented players returning.

Blue Ridge entered last year’s tournament at the No.4 seed and ended up taking the trophy home with a winover No. 6 River Valley. Blue Ridge defeated rival ShowLow in the semifinals. All of those teams, along withSnowflake, Chandler Seton Catholic and perhapsCoolidge and Florence, have a chance to win it all thistime around.

“They (Show Low) lost a big senior class, but don’t letthis fool you – they will be loaded,’’ said Ron Tenney,coach of Snowflake, another White Mountains power-house.

Show Low coach Randy Ricedorff isn’t going to dis-agree.

His program had success at the junior-varsity andfreshman levels and will re-stock. He adds: “This will beone of the most physical and biggest teams that ShowLow has had.’’

Show Low has 39 lettermen returning – but only twoon offense and four on defense.

Four key players lead the way for the Cougars – cen-ter Logan Barton, wide receiver-free safety QuentinClark, linebacker-tight end-fullback Willie Wyatt and cor-nerback-tight end-fullback Jarom Fawcett.

When Jake Belshe grew up nearby Eagar and later inSt. Johns, his parents owned several businesses, in-cluding a Dairy Queen.

By the time Belshe graduated from St. Johns afterthree seasons at Round Valley and went on to play col-legiately at UTEP, he was a strapping 6-feet-3 and 270pounds. He figures he got plenty of nutritional assis-tance by eating some of the restaurant’s famousdesserts.

“The power of the Blizzard,’’ Belshe said, laughing.That helped Belshe survive many challenges in his

career as a player and coach, but none is more formida-ble than what he faces in the fall of 2014.

As the new head coach at Blue Ridge, the 34-year-old Belshe will be following a coach who won 318games and 13 state championships in 30 years – PaulMoro. Florence Poston Butte is Moro’s new home andnow Belshe will see if Blue Ridge’s Yellowjackets canwin another title.

Belshe, meanwhile, likes what he sees of his players– and indicates that the Yellowjackets are not about toback down from anyone.

“Of course, we will play anybody at any time,’’ hesaid. “There are great coaches and players everywhere,but we will be ready.

“We like having high expectations. We have greatkids and their work ethic is unbelievable.’’

Everybody is ready to go, from the players, to the ad-ministration to the boosters.

Blue Ridge allowed just 21 points in the playoffs, sothe defense will be the focus point. Belshe said he wasinvolved with multiple offenses while serving as an as-sistant in recent seasons at a school in El Paso, “so Iwill adapt my system to the kids that I have.’’

Belshe thinks he can relate to the players because ofhis younger age, but also will command respect as anauthority figure.

“I can relate to kids a lot, you know, I know thingsabout Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter,’’ he said. “But Ican also be like a father. I had some kids (previously)who had single parents or no parents. I had a very openrelationship with them. We are going to be account-able.’’

The bonding aspect started with a few mini-campsand some 7-on-7 drills, and Belshe hopes that will carryover to fall camp.

Blue Ridge’s top players will be quarterback SpencerHall, slotback Nate Myles, tight end Adam Padilla andlineman Rosario Munoz.

Show Low No. 1 Pick in D-IV

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Show Low’s Quentin Clark is poised for a big 2014 gridironcampaign (photo by paynterpics.com).


No. 1 SHOW LOW. Coach Randy Ricedorffprobably doesn’t have any superstarsamong his group, but the players work ex-tremely well together as the Cougars have inthe seven years under his watch. Ricedorffis quick to give credit to his assistants – “Wehave a great staff committed to play for achampionship.’’ As always, the true measur-ing stick will be games against rival Lake-side Blue Ridge and Snowflake.

No. 2 LAKESIDE BLUE RIDGE. Give JakeBelshe credit. He isn’t afraid to follow in thefootsteps of an Arizona coaching legend –Paul Moro. Belshe also can draw on theknowledge of his former high schoolcoaches – Tim Slade (Round Valley) andMike Morgan (St. Johns), as well as his col-lege coach at UTEP, Mike Price. The Yellowjackets alwaysseem to find a way to win.

No. 3 CHANDLER SETON CATHOLIC. It wouldn’t be asurprise to see coach Rex Bowser’s Sentinels in the titlegame – after all, they defeated Blue Ridge for the crown in2012. Bowser likes his receivers, running backs and sec-ondary, but he needs to develop a quarterback and a lineto block for him.

No. 4 SNOWFLAKE. Could this be the year that the Lobosupstage Show Low and Blue Ridge? Veteran coach RonTenney just might have the people to do it. This should beone of the most unified groups that Tenney has had, andthey are tough in the trenches. The team needs a reliablequarterback and a few sure-handed passing targets.

No. 5 RIVER VALLEY. Coach Terry Staggs stepped downin May to be closer to family out of state after leading theteam to the title game. Mark Ruckle and Paul Duchaineauwill share the coaching duties, and the cupboard shouldnot be bare, with the return of many of the players whohelped put the team on the map.

No. 6 GOODYEAR ESTRELLA FOOTHILLS. CoachLamar Early appears to have good size up front and one ofthe state’s top young running backs in Joe Logan, whoemerged as a major force in 2013 as a sophomore. The

trick for Early will be to get a consistent effort on a weeklybasis.

No. 7 COOLIDGE. The Bears have 27 players who wereunderclassmen last season from a team that finished 10-2,so that should be a good starting point for coach CayleFerguson. Coolidge was the No. 5 seed in the state tour-nament.

No. 8 WINSLOW. The Bulldogs don’t always have a lot ofsize, but few teams can match them for toughness. Theyfinished a respectable 8-4 last season under coach B.J.Little and have a core of 17 players returning, many ofwhom will be sophomores. Winslow was the No. 7 seedlast season.

No. 9 SAHUARITA. Eight offensive starters and six defen-sive starters are back for coach David Rodriguez. TheMustangs likely will have to go through Safford in order toset themselves up for a playoff run. The chances of mak-ing that happen will get better if they can discover somedepth up front.

No. 10 FOUNTAIN HILLS. Coach Jim Fairfield has put in alot of hard work in his 22 years leading the program, andperhaps this will be the year when his athletes can raisetheir play to another level. Putting together a consistentdefense will be one of the keys for Fairfield and his staff.

Division IV Preseason Rankings

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The Yellowjackets of Blue Ridge captured the 2013 AIA Division IV trophy,thanks to a hard-fought 17-7 win over River Valley (photo by Duane Matsen/maxpreps.com).


SECTION IMonument Valley: Coach Bryan Begay has built a goodprogram on the Navajo reservation in northeast Arizona,but he needs more consistency over the course of the en-tire season. The Mustangs lost two key players – QB Redmond Delmar to graduation and leading tackler/MLBTrevon Holiday as a transfer to Monument Valley, Utah.The Mustangs will be young and need to develop their of-fense. Begay’s top players are QB Joshua Young, RB Jerron Bitloy, WR Xavier Hunt, DT-OG Arick Young (three-year starter) and NT Rivers Jones.

Page: Coach Jeff Wheatley’s Sand Devils have a good nu-cleus of 25 returning lettermen. They run the ball well, butcould use some balance. Expected to play key roles areRB Jason Moore, RB Michael Yates Bauer, QB AndrewRunyan and LB Kordell Chewing.

SECTION IIPalo Verde: The Titans have had a long, strong traditionbut have fallen on hard times of late due in large part todwindling numbers. New coach Laurence Ruhf is ready to

turn things around. “We have a great core group of kids,’’he said. “We are fast but inexperienced. If we find depth,we could be an easy pick for the playoffs.’’ The top playersare OL/LB Anthony Baker, RB/DT Tyre Tamplin, RB/DBBradley Rudder, RB/DB Tommy Grijalva and OL/DE Anthony Cummings.

Rio Rico: New coach David Rastovski takes over a youngteam (14 returning lettermen). The team’s top player is QBSean Fanning.

Safford: The Bulldogs always seem to have a competitiveprogram and this fall should be no different – if they candevelop a defense after losing eight starters. CoachMichael Alba lists his top players as QB Taylor Shurtz,WR/DB/KR David Borquez, LB Weston Wiltbank, OLJawon Mathis and RB Robert Lopez.

Sahuarita: David Rodriguez has posted a 24-9 record inthree seasons as coach of the Mustangs, and he can buildon that this season with another strong team. In 6-foot-5,340-pound Eugene Santa Cruz, the Mustangs have one ofthe best two-way linemen in Division IV.

Santa Rita: First-year coach Cody House has seenenough of his players already that he can say, “We haveall the intangibles to be competitive in our conference (sec-tion).’’ Look for these players to make an impact: RB/LBMatt McAdams, OL/DL/TE Joseph Uselton, QB PeytonKendrick and WR/DB Mikey Patrick.

Walden Grove: The team had no seniors in 2013, but fig-ures to be older and wiser under third-year coach ChrisSargent. The top players (positions not listed by coach)are Izzy Calvillo, Kris Moody and Calvin Brown.

SECTION IIIEstrella Foothills: Coach Lamar Early is optimistic abouthis team’s chances and says he has a cohesive group.The Wolves’ top players are junior RB Joe Logan, RB/DBBrandon Leon, QB/DB Jared Fleming, OL/DL Tyler Adams,WR/LB Mark Garcia, WR/DB Marcus Young, WR/DB KylanKnox, WR/DB Ryan Parrish and OL/DL Kevin Williams.Glendale: Second-year coach Brian Bowman lists speedand athleticism as his team’s strong points, and depth as apotential stumbling block. The Cardinals’ top players areWR/OLB Luis Mejia, WR Byron Bolden and DB SelemaniBaurani.

Parker: Coach Jeston Lotts and his Broncs might be thesurprise team of the section and could challenge River Valley and Estrella Foothills for supremacy. Lotts’ leadingplayers are WB/LB Spencer Moore, WB/LB C.J. Markel,

Football Division IV Preview

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QB/DB Ryan Gray, WB/DE Sam McGuire, QB/DB/P CodyEsquerra, OL/DL Kyle Velez and OL/DL Justin Mooney-ham.

River Valley: The 2013 state runner-up returns most of itsplayers, but not its head coach. Terry Staggs moved out ofstate and Paul Duchaineau and Mark Ruckle will sharethose duties. The top players are Lance Phillips (14sacks), OLB Jacob Lee (130 tackles, five caused fumbles),RB Brandon Long (2,204 rushing yards, 32 TDs) and RBAndreas Galvez (823 yards, 10 TDs).

Wickenburg: Wickenburg alum Carson Miller takes overas coach and proudly says that the entire coaching staff is“all Wickenburg alums. At least one coach from everydecade since the 1970s. A great tradition.’’ Now the Wran-glers must get the job done on the field. The top playersare FB Hunter Gaines, TE Chase Ballard, WR/S CloudFritts and QB Will Patton, who was injured in 2013 butlikely will start.

SECTION IVChino Valley: Wade Krug takes over as coach, and how

fast the players can adjust to his philosophy will go a longway toward determining how far the team can go. TheCougars are young, but they are strong up front. The topplayers are QB Jake Clawson, RB Blaine Goodman, WRBrian Skinner, all-purpose man Bud Cain, LB Layne Asheand DT Thomas Gianfrancesco.

Combs: Jesse Hart established a foundation last seasonin his first year as coach, and now the team must show im-provement from a 6-5 finish. The top players are DL/OLRiley Bourgeous, PK/P Alex Moyes, LB/OL Todd Goodman, DL/OL Danny Taunima and all-purpose playerNate Duhaney.

Cortez: Coach Ross Luna’s Colts will be strong at line-backer, but they need help in many other areas. The topplayers are MLB/FB Reshuan Whitaker, QB/DB UrielLopez, WR/DB Fernando Mejia, LB/RB Alfred Koch, LB/FBXavier Martinez, OL/DL Derrick Jackson and OL/DL Reshawn Begay.

Florence: The Gophers continue to heal after the death ofhead coach Steve McKane last year, and McKane’s father,Bill, is back after taking over. The team has 31 returninglettermen, meaning good experience, and has a strong of-fensive line. Bill McKane says the receivers need to pickup the pace. Top players are QB Bobby Herrera, RB/SSBeau Griego, C/NG Kameron Hall, OT/DL Michael Valdezand OG/MLB Georgie Obitz.

Seton Catholic: If Show Low or Lakeside Blue Ridgestumble in their quest to win the state title, chances arethat Seton could be the reason. Coach Rex Bowser has 22returning lettermen and a good balance on offense and de-fense. The Sentinels’ top players are RB Antonio Campanella, WR George Wolter, WR/DB Brandon Garcia,OG Steven Fugger, OG James Terrill, LB Patrick Larsen,DB Manny Estrella, LB Brandon King and DB DominicJohnson.

SECTION VBlue Ridge: Jake Belshe takes over as coach after thedeparture of legendary Paul Moro for Florence PostonButte. The Yellowjackets’ chances of winning a secondstraight title and 14th overall for the school will depend onthe play of QB Spencer Hall, SB/RB Nate Myles, and sure-handed TE Adam Padilla.

Fountain Hills: The Jim Fairfield-coached Falcons havealways seemed to be able to move the football in his 22seasons, but the defense must step it up. Top players areQB/FS Luke McDermott, WR/DB Sam Stoor, RB/DB Brady


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Estrella Foothills junior running back Joe Logan (photo bypaynterpics.com)

Hartman, WR/DB Jacob DeGroote and C/DL Joey DeGroote.

Globe: Veteran coach Al Ocampo has a good base, 20 re-

turning lettermen. The Tigers will have quickness and ex-perience in the skill positions, but need to build an offen-sive line. The top players are QB/DB Joe Burk, RB/LBKeanu Goseyun, G/LB Darnell Belvado, RB/LB TommyPhillips, RB/DB Brodie Dallenogare, DE/TE Tanner Barrick, OL/DL Frank Renteria, RB/DB Daniel Sandovaland RB/DB Johnathan Martinez.

Payson: The Longhorns have not been too hot and notbeen too cold in two seasons under coach Jake Swartwood. Now they need to turn up the heat on oppo-nents. The team has good overall speed but needs to findplayers to make an impact on the offensive and defensivelines. Top players are Wyatt Chapman, Ruben Estrada andChazz Davis.

Show Low: The Randy Ricedorff-coached Cougars lostseveral players from last year’s team, but have plenty oftalent returning. The top players are C Logan Barton,WR/FS Quentin Clark, LB/TE/FB Willie Wyatt andCB/TE/FB Jarom Fawcett.

Snowflake: If coach Ron Tenney can find a reliable quar-terback and a few glue-handed receivers, the Lobosshould be able to make some waves. Tenney lists his topplayers as RB Trevor McCray, LB/OL Alec Solomon,TE/DE Travis Flake, DB Drew Schneider and QB/FSPorter Black.


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Seton Catholic wide receiver George Wolter (photo by MarkJones/maxpreps.com)


By finishing second in a 48-team San Diego pass-ing tournament for mostly big schools, YumaCatholic’s 2013 state championship momentum car-ried into the 2014 offseason, proving that the Sham-rocks are the runaway favorite in Division V thisseason.

Not so fast. Put a screeching halt to that argument,the rest of the ranked teams say.

If you include the talent the top 12 teams are re-turning, all Yuma Catholic did in San Diego, includingbeating Division I’s No. 1 Chandler, was set the earlypace in a D-V state race that figures to be congested.

But you won’t hear many object to Yuma Catholicbeing the preseason No. 1 in Sollenberger’s inaugu-ral online Arizona high school football D-V rankings.As is the case with almost every top D-V team, themarquee players in 2013 for Yuma Catholic arepreparing to take the field again this year.

Yuma Catholic’s head honcho is Rhett Stallworth,a coach with an appetite for titles. Since being giventhe reigns in 2007, Stallworth has lost three games ina season only once, helped guide the program to atleast the state semifinals the previous five years andwon two titles.

“We expect to get to the championship game thisyear and win,” Stallworth said. “What happens alongthe way, I don’t know. But our expectation is to play tothe best of our ability and win another title. Is it reallyabsolutely in the bag? No. There are seven to eightteams that can win it. We need to stay healthy andget better.”

And develop some offensive and defensive line-men, where there’s a cast of new faces except fordefensive end Matt Pistone, the Oregon State-boundtight end and first Division I product Yuma Catholic’sproduced.

The scoring barrage that buried opponents duringthe playoffs last year figures to continue somewhatthis season for Yuma Catholic despite the stiff com-petition. Yuma Catholic is a pick-your-poison team onoffense.

Stallworth wants senior quarterback Jagan Clearyto pick up where he left off after throwing seventouchdowns and 458 yards in the 63-35 state cham-pionship win over Round Valley. Running back/defen-sive back Carter Rodriguez (2,321 career all-purposeyards) is a step faster after his offseason work.

Wide receiver Donavan Rooks is at full speed nowafter playing with an injury last year and might be-come Yuma Catholic’s second D-I player. And there’sPistone of course.

The responsibilities for the 6-4, 230-pound Pistonewill increase this year. Besides his tight end/defen-sive line duties, Pistone, the team’s best short yardblocker, also might be used a lead blocker this year.

“We’ll watch film and line him (Pistone) up wher-ever we can find a mismatch,” Stallworth said.

As the lone returner on the defensive line, Pis-tone’s leadership skills also will come into play.

Yuma Catholic’s linebacker crew didn’t lose any-body, so a more consistent performance is expectedthis year.

Even Yuma Catholic’s special teams will likely con-tinue to put pressure on opponents this year. Theteam is known to run trick plays on special teams tokeep opponents on their toes.

But with the abundance of talent that D-V willshowcase this year, catching a team flat-footed won’tbe easy.

“I’ve never seen this division this loaded before,”veteran St. Johns coach Mike Morgan said. “In fact,some of the big 5A teams can beat a lot of the 4Ateams.”

Yuma Catholic Early Pacesetter in Loaded D-V

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No. 1 Yuma Catholic. The overall team speedimproved thanks in part to So. RB Jaylen Barnes,one of the next upcoming stars for YumaCatholic. On defense, Matt Pistone had 14 of theteam’s 50 sacks last year. Jr. LB Moises Barcenas averaged a team-high 11.8 tackles pergame in 2013.

No. 2 Arizona Lutheran. The second most tal-ented team on offense in this division needs tostay healthy or its state title aspirations will getderailed. The team won’t miss a beat with Sr.James Farley, who was injured last year, steppingin for a 1,000-yard rusher who graduated lastyear. Sr. Brady Cook (1,328 receiving, 21 TD’s)could be best tight end in the state this side ofYuma Catholic’s Pistone. The heart and soul ofArizona Lutheran is Sr. Jesse Zwick (1,141 rush-ing yards, led team in tackles, 18 TD’s last year).Jr. QB Cameron Haag threw 42 TD’s in his firstvarsity season running the team’s double-wing.

No. 3 Round Valley. The team has more depththis year to help give two-way senior stars Ethan Workman(1,259 rushing yards, 130 tackles last year) and Nate Gutierrez(1,069 rushing yards, 16 TD’s passing last year) a breather de-spite returning only eight starters. But Round Valley can’t con-tinue to give up big pass plays and turn the ball over in criticalsituations if it wants to reach the title game again. It lost somelinemen but returns all-state quality players in Sr. Layton Hall (6-3, 275) and Sr. Trent Padilla.

No. 4 Thatcher. All of the team’s starters at the skill spots returnexcept for one. Yes, Sr. athlete Heath Motes, also is back, andhe’s healthy. Motes played with an injury the entire 2013 season,but it didn’t keep him from rushing for 1,329 yards and throwing16 TD’s. The strongest player on the team, Jr. Josh Palmer, vol-unteered to move from defensive end to the offensive line.Thatcher is hoping Palmer’s selfless act will help alleviate theloss of four offensive linemen.

No. 5 Joy Christian. Coach Brian Cole has a good problem ifhe’s wondering how he will keep his playmakers happy whenthey don’t have the ball. Prying the ball away from RB/CB TonkaWatson (12 yards per carry in 2013), likely the best athlete in D-V, won’t be easy. Cole said his team won’t drop off at quarterbackwith first-year starter Matt Mitchell, a “student of the game.”

No. 6 Tempe Prep. If the Mad Scientist, the nickname given toone of the state’s brightest coaches, Tom Brittain of Tempe Prep,can cure his team’s “anemic” offensive woes and find a couple ofD-tackles, Tempe Prep can finally accomplish its state champi-onship goal. MLB Zach Brittain, CB Jonah Simminger and FSDan Hiser headline a very quick and physical defense. There’sdepth at RB, and the O-line returns three starters. The team willdress 18 seniors.

No. 7 Northwest Christian. With 75 players, including 15 return-ing starters, depth won’t be an issue this year. Plus, it also re-turns a player who played on the 2012 state title team, Sr.WR/DB Brady Lorenz (6-3, 200), who missed the entire 2013

season with an injury. QB Drew Inness (16 TD’s, 4 INT’s lastyear) and Lorenz worked on getting their timing down as much asthey could during the summer. The secondary, with SS Caleb Mc-Shanag, is as good as any coach Dave Innes has had.

No. 8 Pusch Ridge. Juniors Cody Crop and Cameron Swift pos-sess the mobility at QB that can help the team’s fly motion of-fense take off. There are also weapons in the backfield, with Sr.Taylor Fitzgerald (2,176 career rushing yards and 34 TD’s) andSr. Tyler Overstreet (8.2 ypc) and at wide out with Jr. Ben Walker(6-3, 35 inch vertical). Linebackers Sr. Mitch Riley (107 tackleslast year) and Jr. James Raica (97 tackles in 2013) pack a wal-lop. If Pusch Ridge can plug some holes on the offensive and de-fensive lines, another playoff run awaits.

No. 9 San Tan Foothills. With 18 returning starters, including anoffensive line that’s stayed intact for the past two seasons, theteam is poised to have its best season in the program’s short his-tory. But it needs to beat the big names before it moves up. Theoffensive line’s frontman, Sr. Ryan Wilson, has played every posi-tion on the line during his 35-plus game career and will move toleft tackle this year. Another San Tan Foothills stalwart of stability,Sr. Ricky Wilson, rushed for 1,000-plus yards and was a secondteam all-state LB despite missing two games with an injury lastyear. Look for Jr. Texas transfer Joseph Radke (OLB/WR, 6-4,200) to make a quick impression in Arizona.

No. 10 St. Johns. So St. Johns won’t be as predictable like lastyear on offense, veteran coach Mike Morgan will run more motionto help get the ball to his quick players in space this season. Thedefense also will get a facelift, adding more pressure packages tohelp stall the running attacks St. Johns will face this season. Amore fit offensive line should help Sr. RB Sherod Bride (759yards, 19 TD’s in 2013), last year’s offensive MVP, chew up moreyards than last year. But the team needs to stay healthy, as St.Johns will only dress about 19 players and have about nine two-way players.

Division V Preseason Rankings

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Yuma Catholic grabbed the 2013 top prize in Division V competition (photoby Duane Matsen/maxpreps.com).


SeCtioN iRock Point: New coach will take over an inexperiencedteam that only won two games last year. But the team hasa couple of proven leaders in Sr. LB/TB Lane Becenti andWR/LB Ricky Bahe, who averaged a touchdown per gamelast season.

Tuba City: The Warriors finished 7-3 in 2013, but feel theycan top that mark this season. The top players: Sr. DE/FBJustin Adair, Sr. LB/RB Sergio Oliver, Sr. RB/DB BrentonGoldtooth, Jr. QB/S Roland Becenti, Sr. WR/DB JeremyYazzie.

Pinon: The Eagles graduated a large senior class in thepast two seasons and is rebuilding this year. “Our goal isto get the kids excited about playing football again andwanting to play,” coach Cameron Shepherd said. “The win-loss record is irrelevant. Having fun and playing the sportis.” Look for Jr. athlete Zach Cody and So. Garrick Haskanto assume leadership roles.

SeCtioN iiAntelope: The team only lost five seniors off of last year’steam but needs to navigate a difficult schedule in order tofinish with a plus-.500 record for the first time since 2009.The run game will be “tough” with Fernando Leon. … The

2013 linebacker crew (Eduardo Gamez, Gerry Evans andMiguel Ramirez) is intact.

Arizona Lutheran: Fifth-year coach Scott Indahl’s recordat the school is 43-16.

Bourgade Catholic: Pat Lavin is 65-47 at the school, 184-126 overall. The team returns 13 starters from an 8-3 2013campaign. Josh Sanders (6-3, 187, 4.6 40, three-year two-way starter), Anthony Morales (6-5, 342, two-year starter),Adan Leon (6-2, 246, three-year starter) lead the way. Sixof the team’s assistants played for Lavin.

Northwest Christian: Travis Polley rushed for 1,080 yardsand 10 TD’s last year. Juniors Ben McGriff and Parker Valerious are two-year starters on the offensive line. Sr. LBAndy Hay (93 tackles in 2013) is the team’s returning lead-ing tackler. The mom of the Brown twins, starting lineback-ers Nick and Nate, had a successful lung transplant.

Tonopah Valley: Only lost four starters after the 2013 sea-son. Will need every player to be prepared since it will playin the toughest section in D-5. Needed to fill some spotsup front on each side of the ball. Last year’s starting QB,Jr. Jerry Aguilar, also was the team’s leading rusher. Sr.Tahir Porter averaged 38.40 yards on kickoff returns and19.50 on punt returns. Jr. Arturo Tapia led the team in tack-les last year.

Football Division V Preview

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(From L to R) Bourgade Catholic’s Adan Leon (photo by Mark Jones/maxpreps.com), Northwest Christian’s Parker Valerious(photo by James Conrad/maxpreps.com) and Arizona Lutheran’s Jesse Zwick (photo by James Conrad/maxpreps.com)

Yuma Catholic: Sr. Osvaldo Rodriguez didn’t miss a fieldgoal (6 for 6) last year, with a long of 45 yards.

SeCtioN iiiBenson: Finished 7-4 and reached the first round of the2013 playoffs despite starting many underclassmen. Benson returns nine starters on each side of the ball, butwho will step into the leadership roles? The team’s threeleaders in all-purpose yards in 2013, Jr. Nick Hernandez,So. Keegan Graf (second leading tackler last year) and Sr.Travis Barney, return.

Bisbee: Had a .500 season last year but returns 18starters, including seven juniors on each side of the ball.Sr. Rey Chavez finished with 1,366 all-purpose yards and16 TD’s last season. … At 6-6, 320, it’s no surprise thathead coach Christopher Vertrees is expecting Jason Linden to dominate on both sides of the ball.

Morenci: Returns 15 starters, including eight on offense,from a 2013 season that ended in the first round of theplayoffs. One of those starters is San Diego State, NAU re-cruit Santiago Robledo (6-4, 290), a lineman. TE/LB Ser-gio Garcia and OL David Ogas will also help Morenci throwits weight around.

Thatcher: LB coach Ramon Morales and defensive coor-

dinator Adam Estrada have dedicated a combined 68years to Thatcher.

Tanque Verde: Sr. LB/WR Marcus Eibl led the team intackles last year. It’s Sr. RB Kyle Dick’s turn to step in andfill the void that last year’s 1,000-yard rusher, BenitoPimienta, left. Jeremiah Johnson will step in as the newcoach.

Tombstone: The Yellow Jackets’ top players are Sr. Don-tae Otey, Sr. Mark Snider, Jr. Christian Willridge, Jr. Nicolas Angarita. “The goal for the team is to practice andplay hard, stay healthy and make it to the playoffs,” coachJoe Thomas said.

SeCtioN iVChandler Prep: The Titans’ coach, Duncan Aepli, didn’twant to single out any player, opting to take a team-firstapproach. “All of our players are important to the program,as they each contribute in some meaningful way to thesuccess of our team,” Aepli said.

Paradise Honors: The freshmen and sophomores thatdominated the lineup last year are a year older andstronger after 95 percent of the players participated in theteam’s weight lifting/conditioning program. The team’sstrength is the size of its offensive line, but it’s hoping theoffseason work will help improve its defensive line. Jr. QB


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(From L to R) tempe Prep’s Daniel Hiser (photo by Jim Willittes/maxpreps.com), Round Valley’s ethan Workman (photo byJim Willittes/maxpreps.com) and San tan Foothills’ Sage Waxter (photo by Chris Hook/maxpreps.com)

Tommy Seros (1,487 total yards last year), Sr. LB JaceOgorchock, So. RB/OLB Brandon Brown (723 rushingyards, 80 tackles in 2013), Jr. DB/WR Chris Persons (5INTs in 2013), and So. DL/OL Colt Carroll continue to growas leaders.

Scottsdale Christian: Sr. QB Jack Johnson has the talentto play in college, his coach says. Sr. LB Nick Zalkow is asolid student and athlete. Jr. WR Nick Winn is one of thetop triple jumpers in the state and jumped 44’ 1.0” in Aus-tralia this summer. Sr. OL/DL Quinton Stevenson (320pounds) also is an excellent long snapper. Sr. WR/DBKody Scott transferred from Chaparral. Chuck Gibbs re-placed the previous coach.

Scottsdale Prep: Has won at least seven games eachseason since the football program started in 2010. It grad-uated a strong senior class last year and returns a newcoach and only three starters on defense this year. But twoof D-V’s big offensive weapons, QB Nick Smith (45 TD’s, 8INT’s, 3,048 yards) and WR Ben McKeighan (1,040 receiv-ing yards, 17 TD’s) return for their senior season.

Tempe Prep: Tempe Prep is known for its power rungame, but the team will try not to be so one dimensionalthis year. Sr. Jesse Brittain and Jr. Gabe LeBeau werecompeting to become the starting QB. Tempe Prep’s sea-son starts with games against D-V preseason No. 1 YumaCatholic, D-IV No. 1 Show Low, and D-V perennial powerNorthwest Christian.

Valley Christian: Graduated its top offensive and defen-sive stat leaders last year, but Jr. QB Sky Rodrigues, Jr.DB/WR Michael Gay, Sr. WR/DB Riley Rhodes and Sr.WR/DB John David Wee want to make a name for them-selves.

Veritas Prep: Team finished 3-7 last year. It returns fourstarters on offense, five on defense. Depth is the team’sbiggest question mark. Sr. Joe Promberger, Sr. D.J.Caranhan, Jr. Ted Crane are the team’s leaders.

SeCtioN VMiami: Brandon Powell takes over as coach along with anew coaching staff. The team returns 16 lettermen, includ-ing seven starters. The 100th meeting between rivalsMiami and Globe will be staged this season. Powell playedand coached at Globe. Sr. RB Cedric Johnson, Sr. FB/LBNick Bowser, Sr. ATH Kai Cienfuegos, So. lineman DustyBrunson, So. Lineman Josiah Palmer are the top returningplayers. Miami is young but quick.

Round Valley: Sr. Coleman Heart, who played for theteam as a sophomore before moving to Kansas, returnedthis year and will likely start at RB or LB.

St. Johns: Coach Mike Morgan is four wins away from winNo. 300. He is in his 26th season at St. Johns and so is hisright hand man, assistant Joe Garcia.

Santa Cruz: Rishard Davis is the team’s new coach. Theteam will lean on three sophomores, OL/DE Eduardo Gaspar, QB/DB Emilio Cosillos, WR/DB Tony Jimenez, tohelp carry the Dust Devils. “Our team goal is to showeveryone that you can have class and still dominate,” saysDavis.

SeCtioN ViBaboquivari: Team’s 55-game losing streak might endthis season, because it returns nine more players this yearcompared to the start of the 2013 season. … Team will beyoung, though. … Look for So. WR/DB Warren Mattias, Sr.QB/DB Coldrin Ortiz and So. RB/LB Tarantino Baptisto totake charge of the team.

Canyon State Academy: If there is a school in the statethat uses football to help turn the lives of students around,it’s Canyon State. “Our program is designed to use the so-cial learning theory, surrounding our youth with positiverole models that have had similar experiences as ouryouths or who have the passion to influence positivechange in our youth,” coach Michael Bankston said. Itlooks like Bankston might have some size on this year’steam. Senior OT/DT Kenny Braizer (6-3, 285), Sr. JerrySargarna (6-3, 250) and C/DT Jr. Rodolfo Perez (6-1, 250)are some of the new faces on the team. Sr. CB OmarMadison and So. RB/LB Damian Ochoa also are listed asplayers to watch on this year’s team.

Pusch Ridge Christian: Sr. Cooper Barghols was diag-nosed with leukemia before he was in 7th grade and un-derwent chemotherapy. The chemo damaged some nervesin one of Barghols’ legs, but the determined young man re-turned to play last year. He will continue to contribute to histeam as a lineman.

San Carlos: Team is young but willing to learn, coachShawn Pietila said. San Carlos won a program-high fivegames last season but graduated 1,000-yard rusher CailebBush and will need QB Wilbur Benally, OT Ethan Ayze andLB Mason Newman to step up.

San Pasqual: Jason Sanchez, San Pasqual’s coach aboutfive years ago, is returning to the sidelines this season. He


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took a break to watch his kids play high school sports. SanPasqual’s team is young this season and is looking to buildoff some of last year’s success. The team is getting off to alate start, though, as Sanchez was named the coach thesecond week in August. “We are going to be playing catch-up. However, with all that said, I am excited to be workingwith the team and feel that as the season progresses wewill only get stronger,” Sanchez said.

San Tan Foothills: Jr. RB Saige Waxter (6-3, 205) isready to “lay the boom” again this year after rushing for1,209 yards and 17 TD’s last year. Sr. Garrett Baer scoreda special teams TD in six consecutive games last year.

SeCtioN ViiCamp Verde: Sr. Jordan Reay averaged 103.9 rushingyards per game last season. Will go with a spread offensethis season to showcase the speed on the team. Sr. BodieHolowell “continues to impress at QB and LB.”

Joy Christian: Coach Brian Cole is 31-3 in three seasonsat Joy Christian. Chris Cheever (6-3, 245) wanted to playwide receiver and tight end, but his long arms and mobilityfinally found a home on the offensive line. Joy Christian’sdefense returns two down lineman, three linebackers andtwo of last year’s defensive backs.

Kingman Academy: D.B. Stroup is in his first season ashead coach. The team “lacks depth (five starters return)but not chemistry.” Key players are LB Ethan Tibbetts, LBChy Banda, TE Breyden Potter, OL Wyatt Schmidt, DL Jor-dan Seybert, TB Clayton Holloway, DB Ronnie Butler, WRChris Pfeiffer.

Sedona Red Rock: An underdog to keep an eye on in aloaded division. Nineteen returning starters are ready toprove that they won’t falter toward the end of the seasonlike last year. The team lost 50-plus years of varsity coach-ing experience but first-year coach Ken Selle is ready tolead. It does return four of five players who each rushedfor more than 200 yards last year, including Sr. AndreDavis and Sr. Brian Nguyen.

Williams: Coach Jeff Brownlee will start the best offensiveline he’s had in five seasons. OL Izaak Brandt and OLChristian Plascencia are being recruited as well as LBDamon Alvarado (113 tackles in 2013). Sr. Kristian Holmesaveraged 8.40 yards per carry last year. Sr. QB/FS AidanGrantham moved to Ohio, but QB Kyle Ernst (6-0, 185)transferred in. “(Ernst) will excel at QB for us,” Brownlee said. “Teams will not be able to stack the box.”Sr. WR/CB Leo Lopez was injured most of last year butshould be ready to play this year.


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As soon as the team arrived at home after its finalfootball game of the 2013 season, Bagdad partiedlike it was 1952.

In 1952, before the Arizona Interscholastic Associ-ation recognized small school titles, Bagdad won a 6-man championship. The cause for the Nov. 17celebration with fireworks and fans was the 8-manchampionship Bagdad won, but there was anotherreason for the jubilation — Bagdad won its first offi-cial football title since the school opened in 1948.

It took Bagdad 65 years to get to the mountaintop,and it intends to stay there this year. But Bagdad bet-ter stay on alert.

There’s a worthy contender, a very strong and ex-perienced Pima unit, charging up a side of the 8-manmountain. Mogollon, the team Bagdad defeated 44-20 in last year’s title tilt, is right behind.

Bagdad, the preseason No. 1 in Sollenberger’s on-line magazine in D-VI, has embraced the 2014 fa-vorite tag, printing shirts with a big target on the back.

“We like our chances to repeat,” said Bagdadcoach Dalton Mills, a Bagdad graduate who left a Val-ley football program three years ago to help turn hishometown school into a state champion. “But we willsee how we handle having the target on our back.”

Like Pima, Bagdad didn’t take long thanking lastyear’s small senior football class for its contribution.

But those Bagdad seniors did leave a leadershipand stat void, especially at wide receiver and the de-fensive line. This year’s seniors, about 13 players,are qualified to fill the openings and deliver anothertitle, though.

The senior class is close, having forged a bond as

soon as they started playing on the same teamssince they were about five years old. Two of thoseseniors likely form the best one-two backfield combi-nation in D-VI, Casey Jeans and fullback JustinPacheco.

Despite helping Pima control the clock by rushingfor 1,200 yards while averaging a whopping 13 yardsper carry last year, Jeans was overshadowed byMogollon’s 2,000-yard rushing workhorse, Dallyn De-spain, last year. But Bagdad was a more balancedand dominant team.

Mills’ squad was so good last year that the 10-0team didn’t punt in a game until the state semifinals.Jeans chewed up yards in bunches thanks in part tothe lanes the strongest player on the team, Pacheco(549 rushing yards, 8 TD’s last year), opened.

Bagdad wants its run attack to continue controllingthe clock this season, which should help open up thepassing game for a “super intelligent quarterback,”Tony Juaregui. The senior threw 32 touchdowns andonly one interception in 2013.

On defense, Bagdad is home to one of the state’stop defensive ends, Lakin Yargus (6-3, 245). No. 2Pima also returns a bevy of players.

Pima has reached at least the state semifinalsevery year since coach Jace Hancock took overthree seasons ago but is still trying to become theking of the hill under Hancock.

Like Bagdad, Pima likes the ground and poundgame and returns its starting running backs andquarterback.

“It’s time for us,” Hancock said. “We’ve gone deepevery year. I hate to put it on us by saying this is theyear, but I want it to be it.”

Defending State Champ Bagdad No. 1Pima Not Far Behind

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No. 1 Bagdad. Juniors Austin Alcorta and Ar-mando Fonte are lockdown corners. Along withLakin Yargus, LB/TE Brendan Garza will use hisstrength to wreak havoc on each side of the ball.

No. 2 Pima. Losing its leading tackler and somesize off of last year’s team won’t slow down theteam this year. Weapons abound, beginning with“ironman” Andrew Judd, a Sr. FB/DB, throughoutthe lineup. A heads up for opponents: TE/MLBJohn Boren likely will become the team’s newbreakout star.

No. 3 Mogollon: Mr. Dynamo, Dallyn Despain, isgone, but three-fourths of the starters return. Ex-pect a more balanced attack, spearheaded by2013 900-yard rusher Jaden Willis and drop backpasser Brock Slade (6-2, 170), coach Tim Slade’sson, who played tight end last year because of aninjury to another player. As usual, Mogollon’sroad graders in the trenches are solid, beginningwith DL/LB Baylend Stephens and DE/LB McKay Turley.

No. 4 Valley Lutheran. If the team can repel the injury bug andavoid giving up big pass plays this season, the program can con-tinue winning this season with the athletes it returns. Sr. RB/DBKyron Newton (1,398 yards, 11.5 ypc in 2013) and Jr. WR/QB/DBElijah Bowie (6-3, 210) will be tough to stop. The Torrey brothers,Sr. DE/TE Trey (6-5, 225) and Jr. DE/TE Layne (6-4 200), will betough to move.

No. 5 Gilbert Christian: The Knights return only two players onoffense, but one of those players is arguably the best quarter-back in D-VI, Sr. Bailey Anderson (2,112 yards, 32 TD’s, 8 INT’sin 2013). But Gilbert Christian’s offense is planning to be morebalanced this year, with six options at running back. The teampulled athletes from other on-campus sports to fill openings, in-cluding cross country runner Logan Pinkerton, a starting RB. Butthe team’s main focus will be its defense, a quick bunch that’saiming to finally stop the Bagdads of D-VI in the playoffs.

No. 6 Glendale Prep: Coach Jamie Self is a pastor by trade. Thisyear, he won’t have to preach on the road as much as last year.Glendale Prep finally has a home field it can play on and will nolonger use Self’s backyard as a makeshift weight room, becausethe school also has a new weight room. Self is hoping the newamenities will translate into more success for a program that haswon at least five games each season since 2010.

No. 7 Ray: The team is rebuilding somewhat after losing 11 sen-iors in 2013. But it still home to a one-man wrecking crew, Sr.Destry Yocum, who threw 15 TD’s and only 1 INT, rushed for 620yards, and led the team with 116 tackles last year. The team re-

turns only one offensive lineman, but he’s a good one, C/DE/KJacob Pace. Sr. RB Robbie Newman (8.8 yards per carry), athree-year varsity player, will help take the pressure off of Destry.

No. 8 Joseph City: Coming off only his second losing season in23 years as a head coach, John Bryant might have to endure an-other bumpy year until his young Wildcats mature. Last year, keyinjuries and an off the field accident affected the team. Its bestplayer, a senior, won’t play this year. Running backs Kent Gray, a“legit” wrestler, Landon Baldwin and Troy Poudrier want to assertthemselves this year.

No. 9 Valley Union: Coach Tony Luzania believes his youngteam can snap its two-year non-playoff streak if the players Luzania expects to see show up. Jr. Junior Gamez will likely tostart at QB, but Fr. Derek Hahn took most of the snaps in sum-mer workouts. Valley Union will go with the wing-T this year toshowcase Jr. RB Jaret Luzania and Sr. RB/LB Austin Dye. The 3-5 back-to-back seasons is the first time the program has finishedwith sub-.500 records since Tony took over in 2005.

No. 10 Salome. Last year’s 7-3 state quarterfinal team returnseverybody except three players. The experience will help offsetthe lack of depth. TE/LB Michael Best, RB/CB Tyler Luz, RB/DBJared Wolfe and Luis Espinoza possess another asset — speed.And there’s plenty of leadership on defense. The defensive lead-ers are G/DE Joel Freedman, C/DE Thomas Reed, OL/LB JavierMedina, OL/CB Koby Hamilton, OL/LB Ryan Perez, and JoseOrtiz. Salome has a new coach, Michael Drotzman, but longtimeassistant coaches Bryan McCarty and Ron Conrad will continueto help the program.

Division VI Preseason Rankings

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Bagdad took the 2013 Division VI crown with a convincing 44-20 triumphover Mogollon (photo by Jim Willittes/maxpreps.com).


SECTION IFredonia: New coach Edward Heaton’s career started asan ironworker, helping build high rises from the WestCoast to the Midwest. His next big job is constructing aFredonia program that hasn’t had a winning season inquite some time. Let’s see how the hometown boy (Heatongraduated from Fredonia in 1987) does. Halfback KeltonUtter, Sr. C Rilee Steed, Jr. OL Omalla Hill and Jr. FB LeviBarlow are the team’s headliners.

Joseph City: Jr. QB Hayden Hendricks was hurt last year,but is ready to roll out this year. The offensive line will beable to block bigger kids this season, something that wasmissing last year. The team’s biggest question mark will beits defense, which gave up an average of 40 points pergame last year.

Mogollon: The roles of Jr. RB Hunter Cochran and WRJoe Gaylor (8 TD catches in 2013) will increase this sea-son. Enrollment is down to about 130 students, the lowestnumber the school has seen in the past 15 years.

SECTION IIDuncan:With a small senior class, Duncan needs itssophomore class to step up, if it wants to reach the play-offs. The defense is quick and will be tough against therun. Look for Sr. RB Laramie Wolfe to become to go-to guyon offense and for Sr. FB Xavier Sturdevant to pave the

way. Sturdevant tallied 127 tackles in 2013. Duncan re-turns nine starters. Sr. Michael Goodrum (6-6, 315) hasexperienced his share of ups and downs during his highschool career, but he was cleared to play this year.

Fort Thomas: Returns “tons” of lettermen and a juniorclass with experience. This will be the second season QBsKyle Stringfellow and Dom Walker will run Fort Thomas’no-huddle system, which should help the offense do a bet-ter job of sustaining drives this season.

St. David: The team is young, so it’s important that sen-iors such as RB Nathan Goodman and WR Rulon Larsonstep up and teach the underclassmen the ropes. Sr. JarrettCarpenter led the team in tackles and sacks (15 ½) buttransferred out.

Pima: The team only lost three seniors after last season.

Valley Union: DE Isaac Lopez will give opponents fits,and getting by So. S Karson Estelle won’t be easy.

SECTION IIIArizona Charter Academy: Coach Bob Henige returnsseven starters, including Sr. QB Christian Rojas, from anoffense that averaged close to 40 points per game lastyear. Sr. DE/OL Jose Luis Flores and Jr. C/DL JosephZickafoose are the leaders of a defense that is much im-proved and returns a bunch of experience as well.

Football Division VI Preview

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(From L to R) Myles Mattox, Glendale Prep (photo by Mark Jones/maxpreps.com), Bailey Anderson, Gilbert Christian (photoby Mitchell B. Reibel/maxpreps.com) and Destry Yocum, Ray (photo by Jim Willittes/maxpreps.com)

Bagdad: The team hasn’t lost at home in its past 11 out-ings.

Glendale Prep: The 8-man team plans on playing a 4-man front more this year because of the players it lost lastyear. But Sr. Josh Wright (79 solo tackles last year) didn’tgo anywhere. Glendale Prep also will make some changeson offense, so it can get the ball in space to its athletes,especially Sr. Myles Mattox (9.6 yards per carry in 2013).

Phoenix Day School for the Deaf: The inexperiencedgroup will look to Sr. Alejandro Navarro, Jr. Zack Penrodand Sr. Alberto Godinez to lead the way this season.Navarro will attend Gallaudet University.

Salome: They are young, but Manuel Gavilanes, Jose Ar-menta, Rene Soqui, and Brian Castillo are expected tocontribute this season.

SECTION IVGilbert Christian: Three of the top four receivers wereseniors last year, but it appears that the team will reload atthat position. Sr. WR/DE TJ Malm (6-3,175) didn’t playmuch last season due to an injury, but he’s been having a

“great offseason.” And slot receiver Tanner Conover willlikely become the team’s go-to wideout.

Ray: Jr. DE Seth Harmon recorded 77 tackles, three inter-ceptions and two touchdowns last year.

Superior:With every player returning from 1-7 season,the team is expecting a better season — if it put in thehours in the weight room during the offseason. So. GageCruz and Sr. Marcus Hiracheta (107.8 all-purpose yardsper game) rushed for a combined 926 yards last year.Edgar Galindo led the team in tackles last year as a fresh-man. Sr. Ricardo Ochoa, Sr. Matthew Zavala, So. AustinNavarrette also are expected to contribute this year.

SECTION VValley Lutheran: Starting FB Jared Norton might concen-trate on swimming this year and not play football. CoachBob Wolf has had only two sub-.500 seasons since 2005.

Football Division VI Preview

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Fri, Nov 8 Fri, Nov 15 Mon, Nov 25 Sat, Nov 30

Boulder Creek (#16)

Mountain Pointe (#1)

Red Mountain (#9)

Highland (#8)

Brophy Prep (#12)

Westview (#5)

Desert Mountain (#13)

Desert Ridge (#4)

Millennium (#14)

Hamilton (#3)

Mt. View, Mesa (#11)

Pinnacle (#6)

Basha (#10)

Horizon (#7)

Skyline (#15)

Chandler (#2)

Mountain Pointe(55-7)




Hamilton(21-17)

Desert Ridge(44-24)

Hamilton(40-14)

Chandler(49-21)

Red Mountain(34-7)

Brophy Prep(28-14)

Desert Ridge(56-10)

Hamilton(35-9)

Pinnacle(55-40)

Basha(43-42)

Chandler(55-16)

2013 Div. I State Championship Bracket

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Fri, Nov 8 Fri, Nov 15 Mon, Nov 25 Fri, Nov 29

Cibola (#16)

Salpointe Catholic (#1)

Liberty (#9)

Mt. View, Marana (#8)

Deer Valley (#12)

Sunnyslope (#5)

Tucson (#13)

Centennial (#4)

Tolleson Union (#14)

Chaparral (#3)

Ironwood Ridge (#11)

Marcos De Niza (#6)

Sahuaro (#10)

Campo Verde (#7)

Buena (#15)

Mesquite (#2)

Salpointe Catholic(54-7)




Chaparral(35-20)

Deer Valley(20-14)

Chaparral(35-21)

Mesquite(26-20)

Liberty(57-20)

Deer Valley(40-16)

Centennial(37-10)

Chaparral(64-21)

Marcos De Niza(28-16)

Campo Verde(34-21)

Mesquite(42-27)

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2013 Div. II State Championship Bracket

Fri, Nov 8 Fri, Nov 15 Mon, Nov 25 Fri, Nov 29

Agua Fria (#16)

Williams Field (#1)

Highley (#9)

Canyon Del Oro (#8)

Bradshaw Mt. (#12)

Peoria (#5)

Cactus (#13)

Queen Creek (#4)

Thunderbird (#14)

Desert Edge (#3)

Catalina Foothills (#11)

Shadow Ridge (#6)

Tempe (#10)

Sabino (#7)

Washington (#15)

Saguaro (#2)

Williams Field(56-21)

Williams Field(29-26)

Queen Creek(31-28)

Saguaro(47-25)

Saguaro(77-48)

Queen Creek(42-14)

Desert Edge(40-14)

Saguaro(48-20)

Canyon Del Oro(34-31)

Peoria(50-23)

Queen Creek(38-10)

Desert Edge(56-26)

Shadow Ridge(51-41)

Sabino(56-49)

Saguaro(62-21)

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2013 Div. III State Championship Bracket

Sat, Nov 9 Sat, Nov 16 Mon, Nov 25 Sat, Nov 30

Payson (#16)

Show Low (#1)

Safford (#9)

Estrella Foothills (#8)

Fountain Hills (#12)

Coolidge (#5)

Monument Valley (#13)

Blue Ridge (#4)

Rio Rico (#14)

Snowflake (#3)

Page (#11)

River Valley (#6)

Sahuarita (#10)

Winslow (#7)

Combs (#15)

Seton Catholic (#2)

Show Low(39-6)

Show Low(64-20)

Blue Ridge(14-7)

Blue Ridge(17-7)

River Valley(43-12)

Blue Ridge(49-0)

River Valley(28-14)

Seton Catholic(27-20)

Safford(49-42)

Coolidge(37-34)

Blue Ridge(59-7)

Snowflake(50-20)

River Valley(75-7)

Winslow(38-14)

Seton Catholic(55-17)

2013 Div. IV State Championship Bracket

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Sat, Nov 9 Sat, Nov 16 Mon, Nov 25 Sat, Nov 30

Hopi (#16)

Arizona Lutheran (#1)

Pusch Ridge (#9)

Bourgade Catholic (#8)

Tempe Prep (#12)

Northwest Christian (#5)

Benson (#13)

Round Valley (#4)

San Tan Foothills (#14)

Yuma Catholic (#3)

Williams (#11)

St. Johns (#6)

Morenci (#10)

Thatcher (#7)

Scottsdale Prep (#15)

Joy Christian (#2)

Arizona Lutheran(60-6)

Arizonz Lutheran(30-8)

Round Valley(28-22)

Yuma Catholic(63-35)

Yuma Catholic(72-34)

Round Valley(26-7)

Yuma Catholic(42-7)

Thatcher(42-41)

Pusch Ridge(28-6)

Tempe Prep(21-0)

Round Valley(51-8)

Yuma Catholic(57-6)

St. Johns(21-0)

Thatcher(28-6)

Joy Christian(76-43)

2013 Div. V State Championship Bracket

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Sat, Oct 26 Sat, Nov 2 Sat, Nov 9 Sat, Nov 16

Salome (#9)

Valley Lutheran (#8)

Joseph City (#12)

Mogollon (#5)

Mesa Prep (#11)

Glendale Prep (#6)

Duncan (#10)

Ray (#7)

Salome(30-28)

Pima(56-8)

Mogollon(58-48)

Bagdad(44-20)

Bagdad(66-34)

Mogollon(60-8)

Bagdad(61-18)

Gilbert Christian(57-6)

Pima (#1)

Mogollon(62-6)

St. David (#4)

Glendale Prep(43-6)

Bagdad (#3)

Ray(28-0)

Gilbert Chr. (#2)

2013 Div. VI State Championship Bracket

page 53

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